Forced Perspective
by BonesBoy15
Summary: AU. To live without fear is the ultimate fantasy. To live despite fear is the ultimate challenge. Blindness is not hindrance, it's an advantage. Follow the adventures of a boy who embraces the darkness goes to the school of Beacon.
1. Eyes Wide Shut

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Forced Perspective**

 **1: Eyes Wide Shut**

* * *

Within a dark building, a small group of people that wore black and grey attire sat around a table. Each person had different features that belonged to animals of the mammalian class. One had small deer horns popping out from his head; another had grey cat-like ears that twitched every now and then, accompanied by human ears on the side of his head; a third had a brown tail that swished from one side to the next; there was a goat-horned person seated beside one who had ram horns – yes there was a difference and no they weren't related; and finally there was one who had a bull-like horns protruding from the side of his head. They all wore white masks with red and yellow markings, concealing their identities. Currently, they were seated around a round table

"So there I was," Bull began as he dealt out the cards. "Surrounded by a bunch of bigots, ready to get my ass beat, maybe killed, when suddenly, Taurus and Black appear, right? Those two fought through the Atlesian soldiers like they were chopped liver. Most brutal, beautiful combination I ever seen. Hell, if they had the papers, I would've signed up to join the White Fang then and there. I had to wait a few days to get the news from a buddy on the inside, long story short, here I am."

"Here you are." Ram chuckled and looked at his hand. "Ah, shit. I fold."

"Your luck is horrible tonight." Cat chuckled. He looked through his cards and smirked. "Heh, you're all screwed."

The door cracked open and another person in a white, red and yellow mask poked their head in.

"Yo. Lieutenant wants to see you." They said, their words aimed at the Ram.

"My luck just keeps getting worse. Hey, come save my seat, will ya? Maybe a new hand will give me some better luck," Ram said as he rose up and went to the door. He left the lit room when his replacement took his spot, the door shut behind him, and walked down the poorly lit hallway to another room on the side. Ram knocked once and waited.

"Enter!" came from the other side. Ram opened the door and stepped in, a bit nervous as he stared at the giant that sat behind the desk within the room. His body bulged with muscle and a more unique white mask hid his face. It concealed less of his upper face and used two yellow lines as eyeholes to see through, rather than the thin red that the other men wore.

"You wanted to see me, Lieutenant?" Ram asked.

"Yeah. Your turn to babysit the brat." The Lieutenant grunted. He drummed his fingers on the desk and scowled at the Scroll that sat off the hook, connected to a device that scrambled the location of their current whereabouts.

"Any word?"

"Nope."

"Well, it's only the first day. They'll call tomorrow for sure if they want this kid back."

"I'm getting antsy." The Lieutenant growled. "Fuckin' Taurus and his pussy bootlicker...I planned that damn Schnee heist and the cunt went and swiped it out from under my feet. Now look at where I am! Babysitting some filthy _Human_ politician's brat."

"Hey, take it easy. This is needed to get what we want. It's important, right?"

The Lieutenant snorted. "Yeah, important. Just go take the brat dinner."

"Sure thing," Ram said. He grabbed a tray set off to the side and carried it back down the way he came, walking past the room he came from, now filled with laughter, and stopping at an iron door at the end of the hall. He grabbed the handle and pushed the door open, rolling his eyes when the kid started to cry.

"I want my Daddy!" The boy, no older than seven, sobbed from his seat. He wasn't even restrained, just locked in a room. Ram would never understand why anyone wanted to have a kid. They were obnoxiously loud and extremely annoying.

"Shut it. Eat up, kid." Ram grunted as he dropped the tray in front of the brat. "You'll be out of here before you know it as long as your daddy pays his due."

"I want Mommy!"

"Oh, fucking-Shut up!" Ram groaned. He left the room and slammed the door shut behind him. "Goddamn, loud-ass...What the Hell?"

Ram squinted his eyes behind his mask. The lighting was poor in the building they were using and just because Faunus generally had superior night vision than Humans, it didn't mean they were able to see into every and any shadow. Ram pulled out his piece, a generic handgun that was handed out amongst most of the White Fang grunts, and began to walk down the hallway. He thought he saw something move. Ram pressed himself to the left wall, still preceding to the spot he thought he saw shift.

Once he got to the corner, Ram waited a beat before he checked the side to his right, where he had a clear view of an empty hallway. Confidant that nothing was going to sneak up on him, Ram went around the corner, his gun raised to eye level for precision aim. What he didn't expect to happen was for a lean arm to wrap around his arms, restraining them, while a gloved hand grabbed onto the one he had on his gun. Ram struggled against his assailant, unable to fire off a round or break away.

"Grr, get off o-!" Ram's eyes crossed when a leg lifted up and nailed him right in the boys. A weak gasp escaped his mouth and, reflexively, he released his gun. His assailant grabbed hold of the gun and cracked him across the face with its handle. Ram shook his head to rid himself of the stinging sensation and looked up to see his attacker separate the chamber and grip of his gun.

It was a youth, Ram could tell by his height, who wore a tight dark shirt that clung to his torso like a second skin. Black carpenter pants covered his legs and were tucked into black boots. A thick black cloth that was tied around his head concealed the attacker's eyes and hair. What he could make out were the thin lines on either cheek, one on the left and two on the right.

"You shouldn't play with guns." The assailant muttered before he tossed the two halves of Ram's standard issue weapon to different sides. The assailant reached behind him and pulled out two singlesticks, each a foot and a half long. The last thing Ram remembered before he awoke in the Vale Police lockup was thinking why any Faunus would get in the way of the White Fang.

And metal Billy clubs hurt like a bitch.

* * *

The ram horned Faunus dropped with a swift blow to his jaw, out like a light. The Assailant kept his singlesticks out, ready to strike and tilted his head slightly to the left. Sound bounced off of the walls and into his ear, giving him an image of the interior. One man, a muscled giant, was grumbling to himself in a room with two others, while five others sat around a table in a different room.

 _Question is, who'd be harder to take down? ...Big guy first then._ The Assailant decided. He walked down to stand in front of the door that concealed the giant White Fang member and took a deep breath.

" _When facing impossible odds, you must control your fear. Grimm, Huntsmen, Huntress, or Death itself, it matters not!_ All _are weak to the one that shows no fear. Remember that, boys, and you will be unstoppable._ "

His breathing was even and his heart rate was steady. The corner of his lips curled the slightest bit upward. It was inappropriate, but he couldn't help but enjoy what would come next. With a grunt of effort, he kicked in the door and used that momentum to charge into the room, his first strike to the back of a head took out one of the two small fry that stood in the room with the giant. The door closed behind him on its ricochet.

"What-?"

"Who the-!"

He allowed no questions, silencing the other White Fang grunt with a firm blow to the larynx from his straight stick. While the Faunus choked on his own air, the Assailant twisted his body, leaping slightly off the ground to kick the gun out of the rising giant's hand. The weapon flew to the side of the room and a gunshot rang out.

The Assailant allowed the smallest hint of a grimace to cross his face. His hearing was sensitive, and he used it to act as his eyes in combat. So, the sharp, loud and painful decibels of the gunshot disoriented him for the briefest of seconds. It wasn't his first time bringing clubs to a gunfight. The pain was pushed to the back of his mind as he focused on disabling the two White Fang members.

The one he intentionally choked was simple to take down. The Assailant used his right club to strike the back of the grunt's knee. As the Faunus fell, still having difficulty taking in air and now easily down to one leg for the time being, the Assailant slammed both of his weapons into the Faunus' stomach. The blow knocked him unconscious immediately, as it forced the remaining air out of his body.

"You little shit!" The leader grabbed the edge of his desk and flipped it at the Assailant, who avoided it with a roll to the side. A brief twist on his upper back and shoulders spun his legs, preventing the giant White Fang member from approaching, and also gave him space to kip back up to his feet.

That was one of the few reasons he was so glad he got into street dances, you learn the niftiest of tricks.

"I'm going to kill you!" The giant White Fang member snarled and flicked his hands out to the side. Claws protruded from his fingers over his nails and his canines appeared sharper than before. An animalistic roar left the White Fang member's mouth as he slashed at the Assailant.

The Assailant dodged and weaved out of the way of the claw swipes for a brief moment before he turned and rushed at the opposite wall. He jumped and pushed off of the wall, twisting in the air to nail the White Fang member in the jaw with a kick. With the opening he gave himself, the Assailant persisted, throwing combinations of stick blows, punches and low kicks to weaken his foe. Of course then one of the small fries, the first one to go down, started to get back up.

Forced to lose his advantage over the leader lest he succumb to a sneak attack and turnaround, the Assailant used one last blow to the leader's head to buy him some time. He lifted off the ground in a twist and his leg snapped out, delivering a brutal and powerful blow to the small fry's chest. The White Fang grunt flew into the broken door, knocking it off of its hinges into the hallway. Undeterred by what could've been a major issue, the Assailant returned his attention to the White Fang giant and battered him down to the ground.

Finally, a swift blow across the rising leader's face knocked him out. The Assailant, unable to take even the briefest of breaks, grabbed a small portable, but heavy, machine off of the ground and tossed it into the doorway, where it nailed a curious cat-eared White Fang member square in the head. The blow attracted the attention of the rest of the members of the small room and as the Assailant stumbled out over the two unconscious White Fang members, he quickly went on the offensive against a deer-like Faunus that held a shotgun in his hands.

The Assailant locked his clubs around the deer-antlered Faunus' arms and drove him into the wall with a yell. He ducked under another gunshot and lifted his head quickly, head-butting the Faunus he just plowed. The shotgun fell to the ground as the antlered Faunus dropped, dazed, but not out. The Assailant, unable to capitalize on this, turned his attention to the two other White Fang members that were already taking aim at him, one had a tail and the other had goat-like horns. He struck one on the forearm, forcing the goat-horned Faunus to redirect his gun and fire a round right into the antlered Faunus' thigh.

"AHH!"

 _That takes him down._ The Assailant thought bitterly as he fought off the goat-horned Faunus and the tailed one – _A dog Faunus, maybe?_ – that he just disarmed. One wrapped their arms around him from behind, an attempt to hold him down, which allowed one punch to get in, before the Assailant lifted his legs up and kicked the attacker, the goat-horned Faunus, in the gut. The Assailant twisted himself out of the hold and tossed the tailed Faunus over his shoulder with a grunt of effort.

A punch from the side sent the Assailant to the wall, used to keep him upright from the surprise blow. The Assailant fought off a bull-horned Faunus and what appeared to be another low-level White Fang grunt, using his legs and arms to block attacks while he kept himself pressed against the wall. Apparently they realized that guns in a small area were not smart.

They were still sort of stupid, though. The goat-horned Faunus and the tailed Faunus rose back to their feet and joined in on the attempted beat-down.

 _Starting to feel a little claustrophobic. I need some air!_ The Assailant thought. He caught the bull-horned Faunus' next punch and kicked the featureless grunt low like he had the ram-horned Faunus earlier. With his free hand, he released the straight stick in his grasp and let it hang around his wrist from the strap that protruded from the handle. A quick jerk of his arm and the club spun like a rotary blade, blowing both the goat-horned Faunus and the tailed Faunus into the far wall.

The Assailant swung his spinning club up into the bull-horned Faunus' chin. The White Fang member found himself imbedded head and shoulders into the ceiling, dangling like a chandelier, and the Assailant dropped to the ground, his balance off from being against the wall. With labored breaths, the Assailant, the goat-horned Faunus, the tailed Faunus and the bland, featureless White Fang grunt got back to their feet.

"Wh-What the hell is your deal?" the featureless grunt asked.

The Assailant could've made a quip, a joke, or something witty, but he was more interested in knocking out the grunt that he had used to destroy the door of the first room he entered. He twisted his left wrist and his straight stick split, before he threw his arm out and the top half of the weapon launched like a rocket into the rising grunt's eye. The White Fang grunt dropped and the top portion of the stick returned to the base, thanks to the retractable cable that connected the two halves.

"...Shit, that was pretty co-ugh!" A stick across the face shut the goat-horned Faunus up quickly. Compliments, while amusing and nice to hear from one's opponent, were not welcome from these terrorists. Kidnappers. The Assailant grabbed the Faunus by his horns, a socially unacceptable action and frowned upon maneuver in a mediated fight, and drove his knee up into the Faunus' sternum. He repeated the harsh blow a few times, certain he heard a small crack on the last, before he was forced to release the horns because of the tailed Faunus, who tackled him to the ground.

The tailed White Fang member sat on his stomach and punched at his arms, because who willingly took a blow to the face? The Assailant moved one arm out to stop the next punch before it could be thrown and wrapped his other arm around the back of the criminal's neck. He pulled his attacker down and his skull collided into the Faunus' face, which resulted in the sickening crunch of a nose being broken.

Pushing the White Fang member off of him, the Assailant rose up and stared down the last grunt, who trembled where he stood. A rookie, possibly. Maybe even his age. A kid with anger that he wanted to direct at something. New blood, new to the game, new to the realities of what they do.

New to the punishment of their group's actions.

The grunt took a step back and turned to run. The Assailant debated whether or not letting the rookie go would be a good idea. A second of thought later, and he lifted his right arm and his thumb pressed a button on the side of his club. The tip switched up, revealing a simple reticule and a hollow barrel.

 _Night, night._ The Assailant thought as an orange ball of light fired from his club into the fleeing White Fang member's back. The teenage terrorist was launched a few feet further and slammed face first into the wall of the first hallway. He dropped like a sack of potatoes. The kid was lucky that the Assailant didn't believe in using lethal flare rounds like other flare-gun users did, otherwise, he'd have more than a burnt and bruised back to worry about.

The Assailant waited a moment, listening for the sounds of any sort of struggle, or rising foes. With heavy breaths, all he heard were the subtle and soft moans or groans of pain or the even breathing of those knocked unconscious. Once he was sure that it was safe, he slipped his two singlesticks back into their holsters. He turned and went to the metal door at the end of the hallway.

He paused before opening the door. Frightened whimpers and choked sobs tickled his ears. The odor of fresh urination filled his nostrils. These two factors made him realize that maybe he should be handle this delicately. So, with another moment used to confirm that there were no witnesses he didn't need, the Assailant lifted his hands to his mask and pushed the cloth up. Blue eyes, hard and focused, blinked several times to adjust to the small lighting they were introduced to. The hand that pushed his mask up drifted back down and briefly touched three thin lines on one of his cheeks, mirrored on the other. The child might not trust him, even be afraid of him, but the Assailant was used to such things occurring with his peers.

So, it was with slowly steadying breaths that he opened the door and walked in. The room would appear empty to someone without advanced senses, with enough shadows to conceal any hiding spots. But the faint shuddering breaths told him where to find the child.

Slowly, he crouched down and his eyes met with those of a frightened young boy, hiding under the small table within the room, hidden in the shadows. A smile, as friendly as he could make with as tired and sore as he was, spread across the Assailant's face.

"Hi." He breathed out. The boy said nothing, continuing to stare at him with tear-stained eyes, filled with fear. The Assailant continued softly once his breathing had even out and his voice was less gruff. "I know you're scared, but I'm here to help you. You don't have to be scared anymore." The Assailant held his hand out. "Okay?"

"O-Okay." The boy slowly took his hand and sniffled as he was guided out from his hiding spot. Quietly, the boy admitted his shame. "I peed."

Were it not such a serious and delicate moment, the Assailant would've snickered.

"That's okay, I'd have done the same thing." He said instead. The Assailant picked the boy up gently under the arms and carried the child on his hip. "Now..." He pulled his mask back down and walked out of the room while the boy wrapped his arms around his neck. "Let's get you home to your Dad."

The Assailant carried the boy into the hallway, walking over the unconscious bodies like they were cracks in the sidewalk.

They left the building without any issue.

* * *

The Assailant climbed up a fire escape ladder before taking the stairs up to the top of a small rundown apartment building. He'd successfully returned the boy home. The police around the estate were baffled by the child's sudden reappearance, and the parents, the mother especially, were too grateful to have the boy back to even bother wondering how the boy returned. His deed for the night done, the Assailant returned home, opening the window to the fire escape and climbing inside.

Once he was in, he shut the window and pulled his impromptu mask from his head, revealing short and shaggy blond hair along with his other features, and tossed it to the side of the room. Sluggishly, he made his way to the Screen and turned it on, listening to the news report on the 'breaking story' of the young Winchester boy's sudden return home. As he started to peel his clothes off, the Assailant heard the head of the house speak out:

" _Earlier today I realized how foolish I've been to underestimate these monsters, this White Fang, when they kidnapped my youngest son, Robin. Tonight, I'm lucky that some stranger, some noble Huntsman, stepped up without request and saved him. There is an unsung hero out there, one who braved death against these-these hopeless animals to save an innocent boy. To that hero I say this: Thank you._ "

 _You know, it'd feel a whole lot better if you didn't demonize the Faunus terrorist group like that._ The Assailant mused as he set his gloves and singlesticks on a counter. He closed his eyes and moved his hand around slightly before he found his Scroll, purposefully left behind in case the worst happened. Opening the device, he played back the first voice message of many that came from the same person.

Beep. " _Hey-y-y, Naruto. You know you promised to come over to Junior's tonight~! Mel and I are getting awfully lonely without our golden teddy bear to keep us company._ "

The Assailant, Naruto, felt his eye twitch as he undid the knots that kept his boots on. He hated that nickname _so_ much. Before the message could finish, he deleted it, and let the next one play while he kicked his boots off.

Beep. " _Naruto, come on. Is this about the 'teddy bear' thing? You promised to come over tonight. It's not everyday our favorite customer gets accepted into Beacon Academy, you know._ "

"Oh god...why?" Naruto groaned in mild pain. He was sore already and...damn, the bullet grazed his arm. With a grimace at the revelation, Naruto reached into a nearby drawer and pulled out a sewing kit. Thankfully, the wound wasn't too deep, but it was deep enough to require stitches. He deleted the message and started to prepare a thread and needle.

Beep. " _Naruto~, Junior's got a special batch of Ramen cooking just for you. Come on, everyone's here! Well, not everyone, but you'll see_ him _once you get to Beacon, I'm sure. Still, you're going away for_ so _long! The least you could do is come say goodbye to me and Mel!_ "

"Miltiades is always so freakin' pushy..." Naruto mumbled. He hissed when the needle slipped and went through his skin crooked. "Ow, dammit."

All he wanted to do was to go to bed and sleep this night off like a bad hangover, but he was sure her next message will be a threat.

Beep. " _All right, I'm being serious Naruto Alistair. You've got an hour tops before Melanie and I come over there and drag your ass to The Club. So if you were smart, which I hope you are, you'll do the smart thing and be here before the time limit's up!_ "

Naruto glanced at the time the message was left and the time it was now.

Fuck.

As if on cue, there was a loud banging on his door.

"Naruto Alistair, you open this door right _now_ , you selfish ass! Or I'll break it down!"

Naruto looked at the needle and thread in his arm, to the door, and then to the fire escape before he hung his head in defeat.

Fuck!

* * *

 **AN: So this is the new RWBY crossover. Yes, there's elements of Daredevil in it, but no more than that, I swear. There's no Kingpin, no Avengers, and no Defenders. ...Stick may make an appearance, but, c'mon. He's Stick.**

 **Anyway, give me your thoughts!**

 **REVIEW!**


	2. The Big Yang Theory

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Forced Perspective**

 **2: The Big Yang Theory**

* * *

Miltiades Malachite was not a patient girl. She liked things done when she wanted it, and to do things when she wanted. Her impatience was a good portion of the reason behind why she and her sister dropped out of school and wound up working at The Club. Well, the latter was more so because the alternative option to being beautiful bouncers was not very enticing to Miltiades or her twin sister Melanie.

So, when their favorite customer suddenly decided to go mute on her like _he_ did before their break-up, it was needless to say that her patience ran thin rather quickly. Granted, there was a chance that Naruto was in bed early or out with his soon-to-be fellow classmates, but both of those Miltiades found highly unlikely for two reasons.

For one, Naruto didn't have a lot of friends and he wasn't the best at making them. Which, to be fair, wasn't entirely his fault. He had a swanky apartment, courtesy of his estranged adoptive father, with little reason to go out at night, caused by the lack of friends. His lack of friends was mostly attributed to his birthmarks, the three whiskers on either cheek. He was mistaken for a Faunus many times, and with the White Fang looming over the other bipedal species' head, it didn't exactly have people lining up outside of his door. That was a true shame, too. Naruto was a sweet kid, bright as the sun could be and – for a guy that was easily a year and a half her junior – had a _great_ body.

Wasted aesthetic appeal aside, the other reason Miltiades believed that Naruto wasn't out or in bed early was because Naruto promised to drop by The Club and see them. Naruto Alistair _didn't_ break promises. Ever. If he decided to start now, Miltiades was going to kick his ass with Melanie's heels.

Pale green eyes narrowed when the door cracked open and a sheepishly smiling blond poked his head out. A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head.

"Hey, Miltia, just heard your message-!"

"I'm sure you did." Miltiades drawled in disbelief, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the boy. "And it took you an hour to listen to it?"

"Well, actually, I just got back in," Naruto said with a light laugh.

"Really?" A thin brow arched up. "Somehow I fail to believe that."

"I did!" He protested. "I was out doing a light workout so I could sleep well tonight, you know, because the semester starts soon so I want to have my sleeping schedule back in order... and I, uh... I fell."

"...You fell?" Disbelief laced her words.

"Yes, and I got proof! See? Just got it all stitched up," Naruto said as he stepped out into the hallway fully, showing her his freshly stitched arm, as well as giving her a free show of his sweaty, sculpted torso.

Seeing his body, it was no surprise to Miltiades that Melanie had a small crush on him, despite their age difference. Like _him_ , the estranged adoptive father mentioned before had trained Naruto to the peak of physical perfection. He was lean, toned, tanned and had a good portion of scars scattered across his arms from the training. Both _he_ and Naruto refused to explain where the scars came from.

 _The mystery behind them also added a bit of allure_ , Miltiades thought wistfully as she took note of the hard to see scars that decorated Naruto's arms and sides. It was almost like he was punished each time he fell out of place or something. Shaking the thought from her head, Miltiades glared back up into Naruto's eyes.

"Wanna explain what you fell on to break that much skin that Aura couldn't heal it?"

"A rusted metal pipe."

"...Where were you training?"

"Out by the docks."

"Alone?"

"Well, yeah."

"...Alright, I believe you," she said after a moment. Naruto relaxed and sighed in relief, but froze when Miltiades continued. "You can make it up to me by getting dressed."

"Uh, heh-heh, I'd love to Miltia, really, but I'm exhausted and my arm hurts and I think I used too much Aura-Hey!" Naruto yelped when Miltiades began to push him back into his apartment.

"Naruto, you are the last person I'd ever expect to use too much Aura." Miltiades scoffed. She guided him to his couch and sat him down. "You sit here, and I'll be right back with something nice for you to wear to The Club."

"Can't I just go over tomorrow?" Naruto asked as he turned his head towards her.

"Nope, you promised we'd celebrate today. I'm all dolled up for it. So is Mel," Miltiades said with a pointed look aimed at the blond, who slumped down in his seat, defeated.

Miltiades smirked and made her way into the dark bedroom, her hand pressed on the wall feeling for a light switch. Finally discovering one, she flipped it, only for nothing to happen.

"Dear god, Naruto, how can you live without lights?" Miltiades asked, frustrated at the lack of illumination. "It's not like you're blind!"

"Practice makes perfect." Naruto chirped from the couch.

"Smartass..." Miltiades grumbled as she made her way into his room. Far easier to maneuver through, she searched through his closet and blanched. "Naruto?"

"What?"

"What happened to those clothes Mel and I got you?"

Naruto blinked and tilted his head.

* * *

"Look, kid, just give me your wallet and no one has to get hurt." A blade flipped out from the unsavory thief's hand. Naruto, dressed in a nice dress shirt and tie for an interview a few months back – he didn't get the job – looked down at the blade before he met the thief's eyes.

"...I'll give you my shirt and tie, and you can go get yourself a job. Or, maybe go to church and rethink your life. Either's fine with me."

"What the hell kind of offer is that?"

"Well, you either take the shirt and tie, or I punch your face in and walk away with bloodstains on my new clothes."

Wind picked up around them and the tip of the blade in the thief's hand was cut off by a stray gust. The thief looked at his hand and then back at the teen. The teen's blond brow arched.

"Well? Offer's open, take it or leave it."

* * *

 _Oh, I knew I forgot to do something today. To the dry cleaners' tomorrow, I guess._ Naruto mused. He tilted his head back against the couch. "They're at the dry cleaners."

"Ugh, you're such a boy! Do you own anything that isn't burnt orange?"

Naruto carefully slid his skintight shirt under the couch with his foot.

"No. Should I?"

"Yes! Ugh, god, you need someone to dress you!"

"And here we go..." Naruto rolled his eyes as Miltiades started to grumble about blind boys and orange. He tiredly rested his chin in his hand, half listening to her tirade, before he asked, "Doesn't Junior need you to play bouncer?"

"All the more reason for you to hurry up and get into this." Miltiades threw an rustic pocketed vest at his face with enough force that could knock him to the floor. "It's the most I could find with all the options I had."

"...Your sarcasm needs work." Naruto mumbled as he stood up and pulled the vest on, zipping it up all the way to cover his neck. He caught the socks thrown his way and pulled those on, orange and blue sneakers soon followed. Naruto was going to debate whether or not he should take his singlesticks, but the choice was taken from him when Miltiades pulled him out of his apartment.

* * *

"I hate this music," Naruto said under his breath from where he was seated between Miltiades and Melanie, a position most men would kill for. One dumb bastard had actually tried to do just that a month or so ago. The poor fool had too much to drink and was promptly shown the way out via Melanie's foot.

Naruto didn't see what the big deal was. Miltiades was pretty, yeah, but he'd known her too long as a pseudo older sister to think anything else. And Melanie was just as beautiful as her twin, considering they were identical, but again, he'd known her for so long it was like she was a sister.

"I could ask Barry to change the tune up." Miltiades offered before she sent a look at Melanie.

Melanie gave her a hard stare back.

They stared for a few minutes.

Naruto looked from one twin to the other and back again before he hung his head. _I hate twin telepathy. So unfair._

"Are you still hungry, Naruto?" Melanie asked while Miltiades got up to go speak to the DJ.

"No, I'm good." Naruto sat back and patted his stomach with a content smile on his face, any pout that may have been on his face gone. "Junior makes good ramen."

"Yeah he does." Melanie agreed. She picked up her drink, a Strawberry Sunrise on the rocks, and drank some of it. Seeing his eyes on her drink, she smiled gently and pulled it away from her lips. "You want a sip?"

"Eh, probably not." Naruto smiled sheepishly. He tapped at his head. "You know how easy it is for this to get unbalanced and topple me over."

"Hm, maybe, but, it wasn't all bad. You fell into that cake magnificently."

"You're right. For something that wasn't ramen, it wasn't half bad."

Melanie laughed and Naruto cracked a smile. He hadn't gotten to hang out with the twins in a while because he was studying, i.e. cramming, for the Beacon entrance exam and also indulging in his after hour activities. Speaking of after hour activities, down at the bar, Naruto caught sight of a familiar white jacket and bowler cap.

"You know what, I think I am going to go get that drink." Naruto muttered to Melanie. He rose before she could stop him and offer to get it herself. "Excuse me."

Naruto walked down onto the dance floor and frowned as someone bumped into him, causing him to lose sight of the wanted criminal. So, improvising, he snatched a pair of sunglasses off of a table and covered his eyes, closing them.

The sound painted a picture for him. Doors opened and closed, feet hopped from one place to the next, the room pulsed with life. His attention was detoured from his fruitless search as people stopped talking about random friends or things and instead began to wonder if some girl's breasts were real. Being a teenage boy, Naruto was tempted to search for the cause of the whispers, but manners that were literally pounded into his head by his father kept him from doing so. When a loud smack echoed in the room and caused the record to skip, Naruto found he had inadvertently found the source of the whispers.

His eyes opened and he lifted the sunglasses slightly.

 _...Damn. She's hot. And she knows it._ Naruto thought as he looked over the girl who was overflowing with confidence. She had a killer figure, her most prominent features being that she was well gifted in the, uh, chest area. That and she had gorgeous golden hair he couldn't hope to match. Her attire was borderline promiscuous, but innocent enough to be viewed in public as another Huntress using her assets to her advantage. The shoulders were a bit much, but then again, this comes from a kid who either dresses up in all black to go out at night and kick ass or wears orange in daylight.

 _Speaking of orange, those are orange socks and, yep, bandanna around her neck above her – wow, those are ni- "Look up at her eyes! Don't stare! It's rude!"_ Naruto shuddered at the echo of his father's stern voice. He rubbed his right arm at the phantom pain from being whacked by a cane. It wasn't abuse; it was training. His father was preparing Naruto and his brother for the world. Or, at least, that's what Naruto told himself.

Shaken by his father's echo, Naruto let the sunglasses he appropriated drop back over his eyes and went to the bar, specifically, to the downed bartender. Junior rubbed his head and groaned, his eyes glaring at the smirking girl that dared the grunts around her to make a move. Before he could open his mouth, Naruto grabbed Junior's arm and pulled him close.

"Junior, do me a favor here and _please_ don't start anything." He asked.

"Are you kidding me? Did you see what she did to me!?"

"...Uh, no."

"She grabbed my balls!"

"...I thought you liked that sort of thing..."

"That's not the point!" Junior hissed. He glared back at the buxom bombshell then at his goons. "Well!? What are you waiting for!"

"Junior, you know what I'll have to do if you do this." Naruto muttered. Inwardly, he was pleading that the professional/criminal would be able to look past his pride. He was still a bit tired and sore from the rescue earlier. His code, the only thing that wasn't pounded into his head by his father during lessons, but something that sunk in through fond conversations, demanded that Naruto side against the larger threat.

Right now, that was Junior, since Naruto had seen him speaking with the most wanted thief in Vale just moments ago.

And Naruto _really_ didn't want to fight his only solid contact with the underworld.

It wasn't good for either of them.

Junior brushed him off and glared down at him. "You don't want to get dragged into it, then go home, Alistair."

"You know I can't do that."

"Don't blame me if you get-!" Junior had to duck as one of his goons flew over his head. He and Naruto looked at the girl that was currently taking his boys out like they were mere flies.

"Yeah, come on!" The girl jeered at two of the grunts before she dealt with them with a powerful uppercut. Naruto lifted his glasses back up, soaking in the fight as much as he could. After another wayward grunt was sent flying his way, Naruto sought some light cover behind the bar while Junior rushed at the girl. The blond teen let the glasses fall back over his eyes as he closed them and listened.

 _Minor talent in boxing. The rest is instinct, a loose fighting style that's easily adaptable._ Naruto smiled lightly. _Sounds familiar. And those gauntlets...shell loaded. Loud. Easy to spot. Makes her a target. She wants attention on her in and outside of a fight._

Naruto's analytical thoughts were interrupted by a large ground-shaking boom. Peering up at the bartender's mirror, Naruto saw a golden haired goddess standing in the center of the dance floor. Injuries she'd taken seemed minimal in comparison to the ones around her.

 _Semblance maybe? Huntress potentially. ...Oh no, Miltia and Mel!_ Naruto stood back up and hopped over the bar when he saw his two pseudo sisters approach the girl. Yeah, it was their job to act as the bouncers, but they never discovered what their semblances were, preferring to fight in tandem and overwhelm opponents. It worked too, especially on grabby or bitchy drunks who wound up on their asses outside before they knew what happened.

Against a potential Huntress though, Naruto wasn't willing to take any chances with their safety.

Before any of the three girls would collide, Naruto landed between them and held his hands out to his sides. Within a second, a cyclone appeared between the girls, effectively keeping them separated.

"Whoa!" The blonde girl recoiled and took a step back. Her hair, which looked like golden fire, doused and her eyes reverted from their burning red into the regular beautiful lilac.

"Naruto!" Miltiades flexed her claws and glared at the cyclone. "Get out of the way so we can do our job!"

The wind kicked up with a roar. One of the poor grunts under Junior's command was lifted from the ground and thrown around the room. He was launched through a window with a crash. Thankfully, he survived the fall. Unfortunately, the officers didn't take too kindly to him ruining their windshield.

"Naruto," Melanie shielded her eyes and took a step back. "Stop the air show!"

The cyclone came to a stop and Naruto stood in what was the epicenter, his breathing heavy.

"Are we done for now?" He asked, looking between the three girls. "'Cause I can go again if you want to."

* * *

"Thank you, Mel..." Naruto smiled in gratitude at his friend as he pressed a wet rag on his throbbing head, back in his apartment. The twins were unwilling to continue fighting once he nailed them with the puppy-dog pout – having a baby face was both a blessing and a curse – and the blonde, Yang he learned her name was, decided that it would be more interesting to join him at home.

"This has got to be a pretty impressive place when the sun's up." Yang mused as she carefully navigated her way through the dark apartment. "Last three light-switches I tried didn't work, though. How can you-?"

"He's adapted to it," Miltiades said dryly, her untrusting green-eyes locked on the buxom blonde that wandered the room like a dog that just moved into a new home. While her twin doted on their surrogate brother, Miltiades was more concerned with the girl that had effortlessly taken her boss and his lackeys out to the cleaners in less than ten minutes. The blonde's dumb reason for following them also put her on edge.

"My dad figures that I have a very low level of BIID." Naruto shrugged, resting the back of his head on the very comfortable arm of his couch. He sat up, undid his orange vest, and tossed it aside, uncaring of his guests' presence. Lying back down, he sighed in relief and left the rag over the upper part of his face. A smile spread across his face. "Ahh, much better."

"B-I-I-D?" Yang asked, looking towards the blond and appreciating the view for a moment longer than what was considered appropriate. She was snapped from her open leer when Melanie cleared her throat and glared at her. Yang grinned innocently and mouthed the words 'free show'. Green eyes narrowed while lilac flickered red.

"Hey, I don't know what's going on, but I can hear your heartbeats increasing. Please do not start a fight in my apartment. I just got the carpeting cleaned." Naruto sighed and draped his left arm over his eyes.

"You didn't answer my question," Yang said as she sauntered over to the couch and leered down at her fellow blond. A smile spread across her face as she admired his defined torso. "What is B-I-I-D?"

"Body integrity identity disorder," Melanie said with her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the island in Naruto's kitchen. She had a glare locked on Yang, who was ignoring her. "It's where a person wishes or feels a strong need to be disabled."

"It's an unofficial mental disorder. I'm pretty sure that if I have it, it's a mild form. Not all that eager to really be blind," Naruto said. He lifted the rag on his face and flashed Yang a smile. "Some things in life are too good to miss."

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Yang smiled back.

Naruto lowered the rag back down and he grimaced lightly as his stitches brushed against the cushion. He draped the arm over his face and the grimace turned into a relieved grin.

"Ohh...that feels really good."

Yang arched a brow at the sight of the cut oblique and serrates anterior on the blond's side. Those were far more toned than the average teen's body was. A smile appeared on her face and she looked over at Melanie. A nod was made toward the lounging teen and a brow raised. Melanie narrowed her eyes further in response and Yang's smile widened.

 _Sweet, he's free game. Mama shoots and scores._ She thought before she moved to the free seat on the other end of the couch. One of her golden brows arched up when Naruto vacated more space by bringing his knee up on the second cushion while the right leg dropped off the couch entirely. "So, uh, you three are kind of close, huh? Anything...juicy going on here? I promise not to tell."

"What?" Naruto lifted his head up slightly towards her.

"No!" the twins quickly and heatedly denied while they glared at Yang.

"Shame. That would've been real juicy. My little sister's head would've spun..." Yang sighed in dismay. A pair of lilac eyes turned towards the confused frown on the whiskered teen beside her. "But...I guess that leaves you available, hm?"

"...Depends on what I'm available for."

"Naruto!" Miltiades hissed.

"What? I can make plans! Beacon's next semester doesn't start until-"

"You're going to Beacon?!" Yang's smile returned and could've blinded the room had it been any brighter than it was. "No way, so am I!"

"Wow, what are the odds?" Naruto asked as he stretched his arms out above his head. He was a bit tired, expected since he did use a lot of aura and performed some very strenuous activities that night.

"Not high." Melanie grit out between her teeth.

"At all." Miltiades growled.

"This is so cool!" Yang grinned. She turned towards him. "So, you have tornado semblance-"

"Nope."

"...But you made a-"

"I can expand my aura out and manipulate the air around me. That twister took most of the..." Naruto trailed off to yawn. "...wind out of my sails."

"He uses it mostly to help him detect sound. Some very complicated way to amplify the sounds his enemies make, a sort of, hyper-hearing." Melanie explained smugly.

"Yep, the displacement of vibrations in the air filter into my ears," Naruto said with another yawn. "I use my aura more to expand my 'audio' visuals than I do to actually shield my body."

"...Were you training blindfolded again?" Miltiades asked, her gaze locked on the blond boy.

"If I say yes, are you going to be mad?" He raised his index finger. "Don't lie to me, Miltiades, I'll know."

"...That's such bullshit."

"Don't hate the player, hate the game." Naruto mumbled as he started to drift off to sleep. He waved a hand at Yang. "Feel free to crash in my bed. I'm not moving – _yawn_ – anywhere tonight."

"Generous of you," Yang said, a sly smile on her face. "How do I know you won't try anything?"

Naruto's lips curled up into a small smirk. "I could ask you the same thing."

 _Cute and clever? Mama_ really _like._ Yang thought with a wide grin on her face. She sighed and put a hand on his leg, something that made the twins tense, before she got up. "If it were any other night, I'd take you up on that offer, Baby Face, but I've gotta head home. My dad would skin me alive if he found out I was at some guy's house for most of the night without adult supervision. He'd probably kill you afterwards."

"Protective, huh? I understand." Naruto chuckled. He sat up a bit and offered his hand, which she took in a firm shake. "Nice meeting you, Yang."

"See you, Baby Face." Yang walked to the door and nodded at the twins. "So long, ladies, hope there's no hard feelings."

"Far from it." Miltiades grumbled.

"Goodbye, _Yang_." Melanie growled, opening the door for the blonde. As she walked past with a victorious grin on her face, Yang heard Naruto say one last thing to her.

"Drive safe, Yang! See you at Beacon!"

 _Oh, it'll be sooner than that, Naruto._ Yang thought with an excited grin on her face as she entered the elevator. The image of his sexy body still fresh in her mind, Yang wiped under nose with one finger as the elevator doors slid shut. _You can count on it._

* * *

 **AN: So ends chapter two. Pairing is undecided, and up for suggestions. Not going to lie, I greatly enjoy writing Naruto and Yang as a couple, but we still have a few more 'trailers' to get through before we even come near touching actually entering Beacon and getting our lead star into a relationship.**

 **Final thoughts: If Engineer4Ever, or anyone else who'd like to do it, were to get a reading started, how does the song "And When I Die" by Joe 90 sound as an opening theme? I think it's appropriate.**

 **Leave me your thoughts!**

 **REVIEW!**


	3. Boom Boom Meow

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Forced Perspective**

 **3: Boom-Boom Meow**

* * *

"Isn't it a bit odd to buy your tickets to Beacon, a week and a half in advance, at the Station?" The lanky teenaged clerk at the desk asked his current customer. Dressed in a burnt orange t-shirt underneath a black jacket and khaki cargos, the blond standing on the other side of the glass slid his sunglasses down to reveal piercing blues.

"...Isn't it a bit odd to have a picture of your boss' wife in your back pocket?" Naruto asked in return.

"...W-What-I don't-!"

"You asked a stupid question, I asked a stupid question, and now we're even. Can I have my ticket, please?" Naruto asked again as he drummed his fingers on the counter. The clerk typed in a few numbers and tore the ticket off the printer before he slid it through the opening.

"In a hurry?"

"...No, I'm just tired of talking to someone who's not done with their basic academy lessons yet." Naruto snatched the ticket, stuffed it in his pocket and stormed away. He pushed his sunglasses up and the frown stayed on his face. He walked around the desk and to the door that read 'Employees Only'.

"H-Hey, we've got someone in there, a suspected-!"

"I know what she's suspected of." Naruto kicked the door in and stormed in. He grabbed his right singlestick and pulled it out, the tip of his weapon flipped open and revealed a hollow tube, keeping it locked on the security guard. His other hand grabbed onto the back of the Manager's neck, roughly, pulling him away from the girl in the room.

"You have five seconds to explain to me why this _girl_ is being held here...And why your belt is on the table." Naruto growled. His eyes, concealed by sunglasses, looked at the girl held in the room, still seated in a chair with a black backpack at her side. Her sweater's hood was down, a dark hat set on the table, revealing two black cat-like ears that poked out from a curtain of dark hair. Golden amber eyes glared at the Manager, and Naruto returned his attention to the man when he started to chuckle.

"Oh, come on, she's a Faunu-"

"Uh, Mr. Smith..." The Security Guard, his hands up and his eyes frightened at barrel aimed at him, "He's uh..."

The Manager was turned around and slammed into the wall, Naruto's arm pressed against his throat. The Manager's eyes became glued to the marks on Naruto's cheeks. The blond narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses.

"You got something against Faunus... _Mr. Smith_?" Naruto glanced at the girl. "You okay?"

She nodded.

"What'd he say to you?" Naruto asked, his attention glancing back at the frightened manager.

"There was a 'special toll' I hadn't paid." The girl's voice was calm, something that caught Naruto's attention. _She isn't afraid. Odd, but could be dealt with later. Any longer and the fear that the manager had would be gone and replaced with realizing that I'm not–_

"Y-Y-You're not a law official, Harridan-!"

"No, but I am placing the both of you under citizen's arrest until a few LEOs show up. Oh, and making sure all of your employees know what you do when you personally detain suspected 'White Fang' members who hadn't paid a toll," Naruto said with a smile. The manager glanced out at the gathered people; a few had scrolls out and were recording the scene, a few on their scrolls talking about it. The lanky teen behind the counter was one of them, though it sounded like he was speaking to the authorities.

"You got nothing." Mr. Smith hissed.

"I got unlawful detention of Faunus, attempted rape, and conspiracy in the second degree. How many young Faunus girls were detained by both you and...Harridan?" Naruto glanced back at the security guard. Naruto's gaze snapped back to face Mr. Smith and he leaned in. "If you'd been further along in your 'game', I would beat you both half to death, claim it was self-defense, _and_ get away with it."

"W-Witnesses-!"

"I'd want them to watch." Naruto cut him off and leaned in a bit closer so that their noses were nearly touching. The manager's eyes were wide as dinner plates with his next words. "So they'd know who they should side with. And who to be afraid of. ...Your wife runs the house, I assume."

"...Y-You can't prove anything!" Mr. Smith protested.

"No...But _he_ can." Naruto moved his weapon up to point out the security camera in the corner of the room. "Bet you erase all footage and audio after you have your fun. Copy it for private enjoyment at home maybe. Or...you got someone who does. Someone, who's listening right now...someone...Who just left."

Naruto shoved the manager further into the wall and glared at the security guard. "Try to run, and I'll find you. _Both_ of you."

"...R-Right." Harridan swallowed.

Naruto let go of the manager, rushed out of the room and tilted his head down. _Door to the west, thirty feet. Emergency escape, probably an alleyway. He's an employee, so he's parked close, on my...Right._

Naruto moved, going to his right and hopping over a luggage cart. He dropped down to slide between line ropes and quickly jumped to his feet. Then, he jumped through the glass window. Not the smartest thing he's ever done, but also not the dumbest. Twisting on his descent down three stories, Naruto landed shoulder first on the roof of a car, bouncing off of it and landing on his feet. The car to his immediate right beeped, loudly. Naruto blinked and shrugged. He opened the back seat and slid in, lying on his back and pulling a stray jacket over his head.

A smile made its way across Naruto's face. He'd always wanted to do this.

" _Shadows are your best of friends, son. They cannot betray you, and do not get angry if you abuse them. Always welcoming._ "

Naruto didn't have to wait long for the driver to get to his car. He grinned as the man started to fumble with his keys and went over his plan. _First, I'll let him start to drive, let his nerves relax, get some answers as he talks to himself. Then, maybe five minutes in, sit up, still in the shadows. Wait for him to notice...oh, better idea. Clear my throat. That'll-_

The sudden crack of a car window interrupted his train of thought. Naruto pulled the jacket off of his face and winced. The would-be driver's face was still pressed against the cracked window of the driver's door.

"...Aw, man." Naruto sighed, got up and out of the car. He slammed the car door shut and gave the one who took down the driver – who unsurprisingly was another security guard much younger than Harridan – a dirty look. He lifted up his sunglasses and rested one arm on the top of the car. "...I was going to make a move, you know."

"Not my style." The Faunus girl from before flared her nostrils. She folded her arms over her chest and kept her heeled shoe on the security guard's back. "A few witnesses were kind enough to keep Smith and Harridan locked up."

"...How much lien?"

"Two cards each. They offered for free," she said, a small smile on her face. "Glad to see Vale is much more welcoming to Faunus than Mantle is."

"Well, we don't have the Schnee Dust Company here, so, you know. Less terrorist attacks." Naruto shut the car door and leaned against it. "Surprised to see you get over something like that so fast."

"Like I said." The girl's yellow eyes narrowed and she pushed the groaning guard further into the window. "Vale is much more welcoming than Mantle."

"...That certainly says a lot. Oh, look." Naruto dropped his sunglasses down over his eyes and grinned. "LEOs are here."

Two VPD black and white squad cars pulled up. The first had two suited officers, who rushed into the station with their weapons out. The second opened and two business dressed men walked out, missing jackets. One had mid-length black hair, was young, and his white dress shirt was rolled up to his elbows; the other was older, had a scruffy beard that connected to short brown hair, and his white dress shirt's sleeves were left alone.

"Well, well, well...Mr. Alistair...Been a while since we've run into you on a call," the younger officer said.

"Detective Haybale, Detective Barns," Naruto said in return. "Why is it I always find myself doing your job for you?"

"Cute, kid, real cute." The older officer said. He glanced at the Faunus whose heel was buried in the security guard's back. "...Are we witnessing an assault?"

"She was keeping a suspect from fleeing the scene, Barney." Naruto sighed. He brushed the tip of his nose with his right thumb and then rubbed his fingers on his chest. _Not helping her feel welcome, guys._

"Ah. Well, uh, miss, we'll take it from here." The older man, Barns, said. The younger man, Haybale, covered his mouth, concealing a smirk and faking a cough. The black haired girl removed her heeled shoe from the security guard's back and let him drop to the ground.

"He's all yours," she said, pulling her hood back up.

"Don't go far, we'll have to take your statement." Haybale smiled in what was supposed to be a charming manner as he helped his partner get the guard off the ground and into the squad car.

"Twice. She's the victim." Naruto added, despite the glare sent his way. He patted the roof of the car and gave both the detectives and the girl a smile. "Well, since you don't need me here anymore, I'll just be on my wa-"

"Hold your horses, Mr. Alistair." Naruto, who'd already turned to leave, grimaced visibly at the woman's voice. Forcing a smile on his face, Naruto turned to face the redheaded woman that spoke to him. She was an inch or so taller than him, clad in a gray pantsuit with a blue shirt, her badge visible on her hip, dark heels, and sunglasses over her eyes. The woman was easily two decades his senior.

"Sergeant Staybel. Isn't this a lovely surprise?" Naruto asked, sarcasm dripping off of his tongue. The Sergeant stepped forward and held up a pair of cuffs. The jingle made Naruto close his eyes and groan.

"Aw, c'mon," Naruto said as he turned around and placed his hands behind his back. "I was just doing a good deed. Your job, even!"

"Law's the law, Naruto." Staybel said simply. "You assaulted and threatened two civilians with lethal weapons. They can legally press charges against you, even if they're guilty of the crimes you're accusing them with."

"Fuckin' bullshit..." Naruto mumbled. He winced when the Sergeant smacked him upside the head. "Ow!"

"Watch your mouth," Sgt. Staybel said, a frown on her face. "

"Don't hit me, that's police brutality!"

"I didn't see anything, you see anything Haybale?" Barns asked while he took photos of the car window.

"Nope." Haybale shook his head and wrote in his notebook. He turned back to the girl whose gaze was locked on Naruto's departing form. "Now, ma'am, you said you were selected for 'random screening'? ...Ma'am?"

"...Huh, yeah. Sure." The girl returned her attention to the officer as Sgt. Staybel shut the door on Naruto.

Naruto closed his eyes and sighed.

 _The Twins are going to kill me_.

* * *

"Yeah, yeah, you keep laughing it up, Officer Mahoney." Naruto mumbled as he walked out of the Third Precinct with a fresh new bruise over his right eye, hardly concealed by his sunglasses, and a round of laughter following him out. He was released once the security guard who'd been driven face-first into the car window backed his understanding of the situation. The police sergeant's familiarity with his semblance and how he uses it thanks to her familiarity with him in his youth got him off of the invasion charge, and his recorded claim of citizen's arrest was made noted by several eyewitnesses.

"Damn bastard... 'Throw the Huntsman wannabe in with the other nut jobs.' I'll throw him in with those 'nut jobs'. He put half of them there in the first place..." Naruto mumbled as he lifted a hand up to his eye. He grimaced. "Good thing I don't use these much."

"Do you talk to yourself often, or is this a special occasion?"

Naruto turned and partially drew his left baton, returned (thankfully) untouched by the police from their weapon's hold. He stopped when he saw who spoke. The Faunus girl with cat ears, still wearing her hoodie, hat, and, now that he had a chance to look, leggings that tucked into her heeled shoes.

"...Special occasion," Naruto said. He slid his baton back into its holster and crossed his arms. "What're you doing out here, uh...?"

"...Blake. Blake Belladonna." She offered her hand. Naruto took it in a firm shake, his finger slipped briefly against the veins on her wrist. A golden brow twitched briefly.

 _Calm...Very calm. Even now._ Naruto thought. "Pleased to meet you. Naruto Alistair. Local nut job. Anything anyone else tells you is absolutely right, to an extent."

"Good to know. Speaking of knowing, how did you know I was in that room?" Blake asked as she took her hand back. Naruto cracked a small smile.

"Can't guess?" he asked.

"You're _not_ a Faunus," Blake said. The blond arched a brow.

"How do you know that?"

Blake continued to stare at him, unblinkingly.

 _Like a cat. Yeesh._ Naruto thought, amused slightly by that. He also thought it was sort of cute.

"Well, we're not all assholes here in Vale," He said while adjusting his sunglasses slightly. "Only ten percent of the time. Fifteen tops."

"..." Blake raised a brow slightly and folded her arms over her chest.

"Wow, you are determined." Naruto mumbled. He scratched his right cheek with a finger. "Would you accept it if I said semblance and asked to keep it at that?"

"Fair enough." Blake nodded and let her arms drop to her sides. "I just wanted to know if I should thank you or charge you."

"Damn, you really are from Mantle." Naruto gave her a suspicious once over. "No wonder you're covered from the mid-thigh up in a hoodie."

"...It's not exactly mine..." Blake muttered sheepishly, her eyes averted and the lightest of pink on her cheeks.

Naruto shrugged. "Whatever. I won't tell if you won't."

"What?" Blake asked.

"I don't care," Naruto said again. He turned and started to walk away. "Faunus have it bad, so long as you're not a terrorist or something, I could care less."

Naruto lifted a hand in farewell as he walked down the street, leaving a stupefied Blake outside the precinct. The Faunus stayed there for a moment, having frozen when he said the word 'terrorist', contemplating the strange human she just met. Upon their first meeting, she had thought he was a Faunus, but as time passed, she realized he smelled like most other humans. And like fresh noodle broth, but that was beside the point.

 _Well..._ Blake thought, as she turned and began to walk in the opposite direction. _He was...interesting._

The Faunus girl paused and glanced up at a rooftop on the opposite street, her ears twitched beneath her cap and her eyes narrowed. The thoughts of the human she met were pushed to the back of her mind. She had bigger concerns to worry about than some teenage boy.

Even if he was pretty cute.

* * *

 _Heart rate increase at the word terrorist? Suspicion is raised._ Naruto thought as he traversed the rooftops. As soon as he was sure he escaped the range of Blake's sight and – hopefully – her hearing, Naruto hurried back to his apartment and changed into the same dark clothes he wore the night he rescued Robin Winchester. He had a new mask instead of the simple rag he tied around his head, one that fully covered his birthmarks and attached to the rag hat that covered his hair. In actuality, it was a White-Fang grunt mask he 'appropriated' and spray-painted black.

Naruto came to a stop on the ledge of the current roof he was on. His head was tilted down and his ears twitched. The city of Vale wasn't as lively, as say, some others – Fortuna, in Vacuo came to mind – but there were the generic sounds of echoed laughter, horns honking, soft chatter, sirens, and rainfall.

 _Oh great. Hypothermia, here I come._ Naruto thought bitterly as he reigned in his hearing and focused instead on wrapping it around him. His loved hands rested on his hips and Naruto's head tilted back.

"Great...Well, no way I'm finding her tonight," Naruto said with a sigh. He walked over to the gargoyle that was perched on the corner of the building and sat down beside it, ignoring the rain that pelted him. He pulled the mask off of his face and rubbed his neck before he looked at the gargoyle.

It was a serious thing, brooding with a fist pushed into its chin, and its eyes narrowed in a glare locked on the city below. Two horns poked up from its forehead, webbed ears fanned out to the side and its wings were draped around its form like a dramatic cape. It was a thought-provoking image, establishing that the mind was dramatic and powerful as well as frightening due to its appearance.

"I'm gonna call you Murdock." Naruto decided. He blinked and realized what he just said. "...Oh, god, I've become my father. I'm talking to inanimate objects. Fox is right, I need to get a girlfriend."

Naruto glanced at the gargoyle, whom he just named Murdock, looked away, and then finally looked back.

"...Well, at least I'm not talking to a rock named Stone." He mumbled. Naruto rested his mask on his lap and leaned against Murdock. "Consider yourself my new psychiatrist, Murdock. So, where do I start? ...I think it goes back to when I first met my father. He seemed like an okay guy, bit of a stiff, and distant...at least Fox was there to break the ice. You'd like Fox, he's a lot like you: cool, calm and collected. ...You know, something Murdock, I think he's the reason I might have BIID..."

* * *

"...So Fox turns around and says 'well, I don't think we're talking our way out of this one!'" Naruto snickered out while he laid beside Murdock, a leg dangling down over the edge and his arms crossed behind his head. The rain had long since stopped, though the dark night's clouds remained overhead. "Man, Stick was so mad...Good times, y'know? Things were so much simpler...then, well, Stick went missing, Fox and Miltia broke up, Fox went off to Beacon and me? I've been playing Night Claw, like I'm still some dumb kid."

Naruto glanced up at Murdock's scowling face and cracked a smile.

"Yeah, you're right, Murdock. It's not all bad. I'm doing some good, releasing some excess aggression, which is very, very healthy...I think. I'm living on my own, going to Beacon...Following my brother's footsteps...Hm, do you think maybe I idolize Fox too much?" Naruto asked, moving his arms from behind his head to cross over his chest. Murdock stared down at the city and Naruto tapped one of his fingers on his arm.

"Hm, good point Murdock." The whiskered teen nodded slightly. "Probably best not to dwell on it."

Suddenly, Naruto sat up and tilted his head. He listened carefully and his eyes dropped shut. Faintly, he heard it, the sound that didn't echo and signaled danger.

 _Gunfire. Large caliber. Forty five? No, that's too loud and the sound is distanced. Fifty? No, not loud enough and its too repetitive. Three-oh-eight._ Naruto thought as he listened to the faint sounds. _...Suppressed rifle. Not bolt action, a repeater. Lever load. Scoped. Short, lightweight barrel. Stock-No. No...replaced with a pistol-grip._

"Well, it's been real, but they're playing my song." Naruto stood up and pulled his mask on. He patted the gargoyle on the head. "This was nice. Let's do it again sometime. Thanks for listening, Murdock."

Thunder rumbled overhead as Naruto ran across the rooftops. The gunshots had stopped, but there was a crash through a window. Two, three blocks away tops. Naruto jumped to another rooftop, he rolled through his landing and kept his pace once he was back on his feet. Naruto kept his breathing even and his eyes closed.

Louder gunshots returned fire.

 _Thank you, thank you, thank you GOD for the legal carrying of weapons act!_ Naruto thought as he skid to a halt and turned right. He knew the area, he knew where he was. There was a small, cheap, and nice hotel that _didn't_ turn Faunus away just a block north, the direction he was currently going, and that was where the gunshots were coming from.

 _Small arms. Nine mil. One-handed, versatile, light, easy to conceal...Blake's not the assassin. She's the target!_ Naruto realized. He came up on a street separating him from the next rooftop and stopped beside the ledge. Across the way was the rooftop he needed to get to. The rooftop of the Stallion Inn. Nice place, good workers there, friendly, and most importantly they knew how to keep their mouths shut. Unfortunately, that meant they didn't try to protect you out of a sense of decency. Definitely not calling the police.

 _And where our victim was staying._ Naruto mused as he knelt down and picked up a discarded .308 cartridge, rolling it in his fingers. A quick whiff and his eyes shut behind his mask. _Fresh. First shot._

" _What's it tell you, boy? Let it speak. Use your ears and listen._ "

 _Missed...Purposefully...They wanted her to know they were there._ Naruto lifted his head up and dropped the cartridge at the sound of more gunfire. Opening his eyes, he saw flashes. _Muzzle flashes. Two sources...Holy shit, she's still alive!_

Naruto looked around and spotted the only connecting bridge. A wire, thin and very, very unlikely to support his weight, stretched from the rooftop he was on to the Stallion Inn.

" _As long as someone has trained to do it, has practiced it, anything is possible, boys._ "

"...Oh, this is a _dumb_ idea." Naruto muttered to himself as he backed away from the ledge. He had his eyes locked on the window where he'd seen the muzzle flashes. Yes, _eyes_. He needed all of his aura for this stupid idea of his to work. Naruto grit his teeth. _Dammit. ...If this doesn't kill me then Fox will. And if he doesn't...the Twins will._

Then, at the sound of a thunder's clap, he ran at the ledge.

* * *

 _Dammit, Adam. You sent Rook after me? Seriously!? After all the things we've been through? You ass!_

Blake pressed her back against the wall of the small bathroom in the hotel suite she'd stayed in for the first five hours of the night. She was currently fighting for her life against a very determined assassin. A bullet that drilled through the wall next to her right ear made her cringe and she fired back blindly around the doorway.

"C'mon out, kitty-kitty!" A low voice called from within the living room. There was a sharp click that made her ear twitch and she raised an eyebrow slightly.

 _A new clip already? He can't have more than six, seven shots total._ Blake mused. She ejected Gambol Shroud's clip and looked at the side before she clapped it back in. _I've got ten more. And three prepared clips in my bag...which is in the chair in the room._

Blake closed her eyes and groaned.

 _God...Damn you, Adam._

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty. I got some lead flavored treats for ya!"

 _For someone called 'The Silencer', Rook sure is talkative._ Blake thought. She leaned over and glanced around the wall. A male Faunus wearing dark combat gear stood in the room with a customized short rifle was in his hands and it was aimed at the doorway she was peeking around. His dark bulletproof vest had the White Fang symbol painted crudely on it in bright white. A dark hood was pulled over his head, a dark mask with four white lines over where the eyes would be and allowed his upturned and bat-like nose to be seen.

"There you are!" Rook's crooked grin widened and he pulled on the trigger. Blake ducked back behind the wall and rolled to the side, under the sink, narrowly avoiding getting a bullet through the back of her head. Blake rolled back and peered through the bullet hole. She pressed Gambol Shroud's barrel against the wall and pulled the trigger multiple times. Rook dove to the side of the room, hiding under the window.

"You always were a lousy shot under pressure, Belladonna!" He shouted out from his cover.

"And you've always been such lovely company, Rook." Blake returned after she'd ducked back beneath the sink.

"I may not be as pretty as you, but–!" Rook's words were cut off as the window beside him suddenly exploded. Blake heard the crash and quickly got to her feet. She went to the doorway and peeked around, her brows furrowed together as she saw a male in clearly black clothes rise up from the ground and kick Rook's gun away from him.

"Oh, bad move, motherfucker." Rook growled as he got up and reached behind him, drawing a twelve inch and serrated knife. He grinned, revealing two longer than average incisors. "Now I want blood."

"Yeah, well, you're not getting any of mine." The newcomer growled back as he pulled out two singlesticks from behind him.

"Ooh," Rook said with a chuckle. He licked his teeth and flipped his knife upside down. "I love it when my food can play with me."

 _...This is just like that scene in Ninjas of Love chapter four, where Nimato does battle with Alpha before they...experiment together..._ Blake's cheeks darkened and she shook her head. _Snap out of it, Blake. Focus. Newcomer is obviously well trained, a close combatant. Certainly very...athletic...Wait a minute..._

Blake narrowed her eyes as she watched Newcomer as she dubbed him matched Rook blow for blow. Rook was good, legit had _decades_ of experience under his belt _good_. He served as a Special Agent in Vacuo's army before it disbanded, which was right around the time the White Fang started to become more 'vocal'. And here comes this guy, who, based by the amount of age–or lack thereof–on his neck, is around her age give or take and holding his own.

 _No one is just that skilled._ Blake lifted Gambol Shroud and furrowed her brows. _Who are you? Friend...Or Foe?_

* * *

Naruto caught the knife's serrated blade on his right shortstick while the assassin caught his left. They struggled against each other and Naruto grimaced when the assassin's bat-like nose sniffed the air. A blinding grin spread its way across the assassin's face. Frankly, it was unsettling and made Naruto's stomach churn.

It reminded Naruto of the way his father would dodge a question by a smirk.

"You smell like blood. Spilt. Not today, but recently. And you smell like something else...something... _familiar_." The assassin took in another deep sniff. His lips, scarred heavily, presumably like the rest of his face, stretched wide across his face from a grin to a smile. "Ohh...Well, well, well...Isn't _that_ a surprise?"

The assassin growled eagerly and pushed Naruto back into the wall. A knee shot up into Naruto's lower ribs. Multiple times. Then the assassin released the knife, slipped under Naruto's arm, and twisted, tossing Naruto over his shoulder and through the glass coffee table that had miraculously thus far not taken any damage.

 _An-n-nd there goes my aura shield_. Naruto groaned. He grunted when a boot pressed down on the side of his face.

"Tell me, _meat_ ," the assassin purred. His question made Naruto's mind stop for a good two milliseconds: "How is Stick doing these days?"

 _...He knows Stick...He_ knows _Stick!_ Naruto grabbed onto the assassin's leg and prepared to lift his hips off of the ground, only to let go when the sound of small arms gunfire rang through his ears. Naruto's hands clapped to the sides of his head and his teeth clenched together.

"Ah, shit!" The assassin stumbled back and grabbed onto his arm. Through the ringing, Naruto was able to hear the assassin curse his target, Blake, with _very_ colorful language that Stick would've greatly disapproved of. As he got back to his feet, Naruto blearily watched the assassin run to the door of the apartment, shoulder checking it open/off its hinges.

 _No...He knows Stick._ Naruto thought determinedly. He picked up his singlesticks and tucked them into their holsters before he chased after the assassin. A beat passed before Naruto heard footfalls behind him, most likely Blake.

 _Well, if I was almost killed by someone, I'd want to get some answers, too._ Naruto thought idly as he followed the assassin up a flight of stairs. They ran up multiple flights, Blake stopping and taking shots at the assassin with her handgun, until the assassin burst through the roof access door.

Minutes after, Naruto burst out to the rooftop, his breathing heavy as he slowly walked towards the six massive air conditioners. Thunder rumbled overhead and the first of raindrops fell ten feet behind him. The second dropped on his head, but Naruto ignored it. There was a skilled fighter, though wounded, that was very dangerous and had information that Naruto wanted. He was out of options, and considering that the man knew Stick, Naruto was certain that the man wouldn't take the coward's way out.

* * *

Blake quickly caught up to the Newcomer and swiftly fell in step with him. She kept Gambol Shroud out and up, her eyes shifted at every shadow that seemed to move. She bumped into the Newcomer when he stopped between the six air conditioning units.

"What're you-?"

"Shush." Newcomer whispered harshly. He slowly pulled out both of the singlesticks that were holstered on his back. Blake's eyes darted around and she scowled as she tried to find her target.

"Where is he?" She whispered.

"Behind us." The Newcomer twisted his right wrist and the tip of his right baton flipped up like a reticule. Blake quickly turned on her heel and simultaneously fired her weapon alongside him. Blake's bullet flew through nothing, but when Naruto turned, he lifted his arm and shot a flare up.

The sudden light made Blake cover her eyes.

It also illuminated Rook from his position on the conditioner to her immediate right.

"Going down?" Newcomer asked, his left baton being thrust out and separating at the center. The top half of the baton wrapped around Rook's arms and torso. With a strong jerk that forced the Newcomer to fall to the ground, Rook tumbled off of the air conditioner, landing on his back.

"Gah, smug little–" Rook was silenced when Blake shifted Gambol Shroud into its katana form, the edge of the blade at his neck. Blake pulled the cleaver-like sheath from her back with her other hand. The sheath was held up at the Newcomer's mask and cat-like eyes narrowed.

"I don't know who you are, or why you helped me, but for the moment, you're staying right there." Blake warned him. She looked back at Rook and pressed the tip of her katana into his chin. "And you...will go back to your masters and report your mission successful."

"...You want me to lie?" Rook grinned and then laughed. "Oh, silly kitten...we don't play that game, do we meat?"

Newcomer grit his teeth and, if Blake were a betting girl, she'd put money down that he was glaring at Rook from behind his mask.

"No...That's not what he taught us, is it?" Rook chuckled. His nose flared and his teeth gleamed in the dimming flare-light. "Never surrender...even in certain death."

Rook twisted himself and swept his legs into the back of Blake's knees, knocking her off of the ground. By the time Blake hit the ground, Rook was already untangled from the Newcomer's binding and running to the edge. Once Blake was on her feet, Newcomer had already began his second pursuit after Rook. Blake was just barely able to catch sight of Newcomer tackling Rook's legs, bringing the would-be assassin to the ground.

"Stubborn brat!" Rook snarled. He grabbed Newcomer's head in one hand and delivered a few firm punches directly to the crown. "Let! Me! Go!"

Newcomer grunted and a final blow loosened his grip enough to get him kicked in the face. Blake dropped her sheath down onto the spot Rook occupied just as he rolled up into a backflip that got him back on his feet. Another kick aimed at her wrist forced her to release Gambol Shroud's sheath lest she risk a break.

"Thank you!" Rook grinned as his foot slammed down onto the sheath and he caught it in his hand. He looked it over for a moment. "Not bad. Pretty light, but very durable...Wonder how many unsolved cases this could match up to."

"Like you're one to talk." Blake growled.

"Touché!" Rook laughed. He stopped both of Newcomer's batons from slamming into his head with the sheath. Rook grinned at Newcomer, who had a pointed scowl on his face. "Aw, what's wrong, meat? You look like you got a Stick up your ass."

"I want answers." Newcomer growled.

"Let me think about that..." Rook tilted his head and then grinned at Newcomer. "No."

A boot suddenly lifted up and nailed Newcomer in the gut, knocking him back, and then Rook swung Gambol Shroud's sheath. Newcomer grit his teeth and looked down, Blake did the same, to the cut in his arm. Blake looked back to Rook in the nick of time to duck under her sheath when it flew at her head.

"It's been fun, Belladonna, Meat, but it seems our time together has come to an end!" Rook shouted over the thunder and lightning strikes. He jumped up onto the ledge of the hotel roof and gave a dramatic salute to Newcomer.

"Next time you see Stick, tell him that Fred Rook says the debt's been paid!"

Rook then jumped back over the edge while Newcomer rushed to the edge and followed him down.

"Dammit!" Newcomer snarled, slamming the edge of his fist into the ledge. He hung his head and looked back at Blake. "You okay?"

 _That voice...It couldn't be..._ Blake narrowed her eyes as she slipped Gambol Shroud back into its sheath. "Fine. ...Why did you come here?"

"I was in the neighborhood. Heard gunshots."

"Really?" Blake asked suspiciously.

"Hey, we're not all assholes here in Vale." A small grin worked its way on his face. "Ten, fifteen percent tops."

 _What are the odds? I mean, really, what are the odds of someone else saying those same words today?_ Blake thought. The sounds of sirens drew her attention away from the masked teenager. "Well, look who decided to show up. You'd think they'd be here sooner with all the gunshots..."

Blake trailed off and looked around with furrowed brow.

 _How did he..._?

Newcomer was gone. Not a trace of him remained, no goodbye, no last words. All that remained was a small piece of fabric. Blake reached down and picked it up. She examined it for a moment before a small coy smirk made its way across her face.

 _Run, run as fast as you can...I know who you are, Mystery Man._

* * *

 **AN: So there's chapter three...Happy Holidays everyone!**

 **Tell me what you thought!**

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	4. Big Guns 'N Roses

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Forced Perspective**

 **4: Big Guns N' Roses**

* * *

"No, don't do that...Don't go in there, lady...Don't do it..."

There was a loud scream and Naruto chuckled as he slipped a piece of popcorn in his mouth.

"Told her not to go in there," Naruto said with a smirk. The blue light of his Screen dimmed as the scene changed and illuminated the boxer clad blond while he lounged on his sofa. Naruto snickered at a crude joke made by the film's 'jock'.

"Oh, man, you are _so_ dead." He mused with a smile. He shifted in his place and grimaced as a small jolt of pain went down his back. _Twice I go out to do some good and twice I wind up spending the day on my sofa recovering. I sense a reoccurring theme here._

There was a knock at the door.

 _Must be either Mel or Miltia. No reason to fret._ Naruto thought as he glanced at the door. He returned his attention back to the horror movie. "Door's unlocked, c'mon in."

Naruto tossed another small handful of popcorn into his mouth, chuckling as yet another dumb teen was taken out of the picture. He tilted his head and admired the free gratuitous nude shot while the door open and closed. A pill bottle was thrown at his head. Naruto yelped, sat up and put his hand to the assaulted area. While he rubbed his new injury, Naruto picked up the bottle of painkillers that fell to the floor.

"Ow, thanks for the snappy delivery, Mel..." Naruto said, glancing at the green-eyed girl with a smile. Melanie gave him a frown and he laughed sheepishly. "Yeah...er...I'll just, uh, take my pain meds now."

Naruto twisted the lid off of the bottle and plucked a few pills out before he popped them in his mouth. While he swallowed them down with a glass of soda, Melanie glanced at the screen. She grimaced when the teen jock was brutally hacked to death with graphic gore.

"Ugh, how can you watch these films?" Melanie asked, disgusted by what she saw.

"Seeing it in real life is worse." Naruto muttered as he set the bottle of pain pills on the side table, next to his drink coaster.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'll change it if it bothers you," Naruto said. He picked the remote up and switched the screen to the last channel he was on. A grin worked its way onto his face and he moved his popcorn bowl back to his lap. "Aw yeah, Ferris Buhler's Day Off. Love this movie."

" _I heard that you were feeling ill, headache, fever, and a chill,_ " a breathy woman's voice said on the screen." _I came to help restore your pluck, because I'm the nurse that likes to–!_ "

Naruto pouted as Melanie quickly snatched the remote and switched back to the horror flick.

"Aw, c'mon, it was getting to the best part."

"You know, there are times when I wonder why you're still single and then I remember that you're so childish." Melanie muttered as she tossed the remote back to the blond and sat at the other end of the couch.

"...I'm seventeen, I'm allowed to still be childish." Naruto huffed. He crossed his arms. "And if I wanted to stop being single I'd put some real effort into it."

"You'd have to make some other girl friends first, Naruto." Melanie pointed out.

"I already did!"

"...That big boobed bimbo doesn't count."

"Oh come on, you guys were just doing your job and though she did technically assault Junior first, he's an asshole, so I guess it's okay. Besides, Yang seemed pretty nice." Naruto argued. "She didn't immediately call me weird or crazy once I explained what BIID was."

"She was too busy ogling your body." Melanie scowled.

"...Well, I can't say I didn't do the same to her..."

"You're disgusting." The green-eyed girl glowered at the teen. Naruto shrugged in return.

"What? I'm seventeen, guys my age think about girls at _least_ forty percent of the day." Naruto waved his hand. "Like Fox never looked at-...Okay, bad example."

"You think?" Melanie asked dryly. While she didn't mind speaking of her twin's ex-boyfriend, she wasn't exactly fond of remembering why the two had parted in the first place. Identical twins were called identical for a reason, but Fox Alistair had been around both girls long enough to tell them apart in his own way. So, his attempt to kiss Melanie and then call it a mistake was not going to be forgotten any time soon.

"...Okay, so, you don't like Yang, fine. Though, that was one time you've been together in the same room. And I'm pretty sure you three all had some alcohol at one point or another that night." Naruto muttered. He drummed his fingers on the couch. "There's Blake..."

"Who?" Melanie asked sharply.

"...Right. You guys didn't meet her. You were both hung over and refused to go with me to the station. You left me to rot in the holding cell. Why are we friends?" Naruto asked.

"Whoa, hey, you said it before, we're bouncers first, your babysitters second." Melanie huffed with a frown. "You interfered with police business and assaulted someone! Again!"

"The charges were dropped!"

"This time!"

"...Semantics!"

"Ugh, if you're going to be an ass, I'm leaving!" Melanie huffed and stormed towards the door.

"Yeah-Wait, what?" Naruto asked. He blinked as Melanie slammed the door shut behind her. Silently, he went through the argument in his head, wondering where it was that _he_ became the ass. A question that would haunt him and go unanswered for the rest of his life.

For now, Naruto just shrugged, accepted that he'd never understand the minds of women, and turned his attention back to the screen. Arms rested behind his head and he chuckled when the serial killer cut the head off of the nerdy teen.

"Man, the effects back in the day _sucked_...yet they're so amazing."

* * *

Black heels clacked as they strode across the sidewalk of Vale, the owner and wearer of the heels had her eyes set in a determined narrow. With the incident the night before now in the back of her mind, and all charges for damages dropped after footage from the city's police system backed her claims of falling under attack, Blake was a free woman. She was on a mission, set on finding the city's 'vigilante' as the detectives called him when interviewed by the press, the elusive Naruto Alistair.

 _How the hell can one guy with whisker marks on his face be so hard to find?_ Blake wondered as she frowned. She'd started this search as soon as she awoke, in a new room provided by the kind staff at the Stallion Inn, and for the past five hours, she'd been unable to make any headway. Her stomach rumbled lightly and she sighed.

 _Guess I should eat something. It's not like he's going to leave the city._ Blake headed towards a small food stand that was called A Simple Wok. She was in the mood for noodles.

She sat down at the bar and placed her order with the elderly chef. While she sat and awaited her order, an approaching voice caught her attention.

"You're not seriously going to pick up your brother's spirits with a takeout order, are you?" A woman asked. From the corner of her eye, Blake glanced at the new customers.

The woman was young, around Blake's age, perhaps a bit older, and had fair skin. Her hair was dark brown, a long strand on the right side of her face was dyed with a gradient that lightened the hair to orange. She was dressed in what appeared to be the fall's finest fashion – not that Blake paid attention to the heavily biased, sex-selling business – a long sleeved cocoa shirt underneath a dark brown corset, the latter item matched her pants and heeled boots perfectly in color and volume. The shades of brown mixed well with her black gloves, scarf, belt and beret. Though, the bullets in her belt were a bit off-putting.

 _It's like she hopped out of an espresso cup._ Blake thought with a hint of amusement. Her eyes then looked to the other customer, this one was a male that seemed familiar.

He was around the girl's age. The teenage boy had naturally bronze skin, short and uncontrolled copper hair. A vest that was zipped up completely covered his chest, it was a muted orange and had black lining. Black gloves protected his hands and an orange, pouched belt held up the black jeans that covered his legs. The jeans fell down over brown laced up shoes. A bit shadowy, but what really stood out about the boy were his white eyes and his scarred physique. His arms were littered in dark shallow lines, and what Blake assumed to be a vertical scar seemed to fall over the right side of his lip.

 _Based on the hint of orange she has and his mild mix of brown, their relaxed stances, and their proximity to each other, I'm going to guess they're either teammates, in a relationship, or both._ Blake thought. Her eyes were torn away from the two as the chef walked back out with the modestly sized bowl that had noodles, broth and fish.

Blake tried not to drool, really she did, but some things were meant to be drooled over.

"Ah! Welcome back." The chef smiled at the copper haired teen. "The usual, Fox?"

The teen, Fox, shook his head. His companion crossed her arms over her chest and began to look over at the shops set up across the street. Blake suddenly got the impression that she had something against the delicious masterpieces of this chef. That or Blake was biased towards the wonderful food that she'd discovered.

"No? Hm, well, then how can I help you?" The chef asked. Fox held a piece of paper out and the chef took it. Squinted eyes scanned the paper in a heartbeat before a chuckle left his lips. "I see. Silly lad, your brother. Word on the street is he got arrested again."

Fox's hand clapped over his eyes and he let out a soft groan while the girl's attention snapped back to the chef. She looked at her companion and a thin brow lifted above her eye.

"I thought you said he was trying to be a Huntsman?" she asked. Fox dragged his hand down his face and Blake guessed that he turned to give her a dry stare or dirty look. The girl held her hands up in defense. "Hey, don't get all pissy with me, Fox. Your brother is the one that got arrested."

"That's just hearsay, though," the chef said. He folded the paper up and tucked it into his back pocket. "It may take some time, I have to get a new batch of noodles started for this order."

Fox nodded in understanding and sat down on a stool, content to wait as the chef disappeared into the kitchen. His friend sighed in dismay and slumped down on a stool beside him.

"And here I thought I'd be able to get some serious shopping done." The girl mumbled, her head propped up by her elbow. Fox gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and she gave him a slightly dour look. "You told me we were going out to make him feel better. I thought that meant we'd be window shopping."

Fox's other hand began to make a few gestures. When it stopped, the girl huffed in affront.

"Why I never – I was not using this as an excuse to procrastinate writing my report and go shopping! You're my partner, Fox. If your brother is hurting, it's like my brother is – Okay, so I don't have a brother," she amended when Fox began to drum his fingers on the counter. She slid her sunglasses down and she gave a small glare to her teammate when he pointedly swiped his thumb along the side of his nose. "Oh, you're _so_ buying me something for that sort of language, Alistair."

Fox let out a light snort and sat back with his arms crossed over his chest. Blake blinked and slurped up the rest of the lone noodle that was hanging out of her mouth. She set her chopsticks down and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me," she said, getting the teens' attentions. She was a bit rattled by the blank white eyes of Fox's, but didn't let it show. "Did you say 'Alistair'? You wouldn't happen to be related to Naruto Alistair, would you?"

"...I thought you said your ex-girlfriend and her twin had green eyes." The girl mumbled. She grunted lightly when Fox gave her a swift jab in the side with his elbow. "Er, yeah, we are. Why? Do you know him?"

"Yes, well, I've been trying to find him for a while. I, um, I was sort of responsible for him getting arrested," Blake said apologetically. She did feel bad that someone who was helping her out got punished for doing the right thing. The shiner may have added a bit of character, but it also made him look like a kicked kit–

 _Damn derailing train of thought,_ the Faunus scolded herself. _Stay focused, Blake!_

Fox's eyes were narrowed and he pointed at her suspiciously.

"Er, yeah, he helped me out of a bad situation." Blake hesitated for a moment before she lifted part of her ribbon to reveal one of her cat ears.

"Ohh...She's a Faunus." The girl nodded. Fox's narrowed eyes relaxed and, once more, he clapped his hands over them. The girl patted him on the shoulder. "Fox is blind, so he doesn't care about species. We've got a Faunus on our team. Cute thing, and probably my best friend."

The girl's hand extended over Fox's shoulder.

"Coco Adel, second year student of Beacon. Pleasure's all yours."

Fox snorted, which got him an elbow in the side of the head.

"I'm not the one with a dick, so it's impossible for me to be cocky." Coco huffed. She shook Blake's hand and then buffed her nails on her chest. "If anything, I'm arrogant."

Fox held his index and middle finger up separately before he brought them together.

"That is _not_ the same thing." Coco gave him an irritated look and poked him in the side of the head. "Keep this up and you'll be buying all of my clothes today on top of carrying them."

Fox grimaced and crossed his arms over his chest again.

"That's what I thought," Coco said with a smirk. She returned her attention to Blake. "So, you've been looking for him to repay him for his kind deed? In what way?"

"I don't know, a favor? To talk? I've...never met a human who didn't care what species I was." _Not to mention I want to know how the hell he was able to go toe-to-toe with Rook_ , Blake thought.

"A favor...? Like, say, deliver a piping hot meal to him?" Coco asked slyly. Fox turned his head and sharply 'glared' at his team leader. Even if he couldn't see and didn't speak, his facial expressions were revealed a lot of his feelings towards that insinuation.

Of course, Coco brushed it off and pushed her sunglasses back up over her eyes.

"...Well, it wasn't what I had in mind..." Blake mumbled. She didn't want to come off as 'stalker-ish' or someone suffering from a disturbing case of hero-worship. However, on the other hand, she would learn where he lived and could hopefully have a detailed conversation with him.

"...You've gotta admit, getting his favorite food from a cutie with a nice booty would be better than getting it from his brother and his brother's teammate." Coco smiled at Fox.

Fox hung his head and let out a soft sigh while Blake's cheeks burned bright red. Fox drummed his fingers on his bicep for a second before he nodded once. The action made Coco pump her fist in victory.

"Score! More shopping time!" She gave her teammate a loose hug from behind. "Thank you, Fox~!"

Fox let out a sound that was crossed between a grunt and a hum. He grabbed a napkin and pen from over the counter. An address was scribbled down and slid over to Blake, who took it just as the chef came out.

"Alright, it's finally all done." The elder grunted as he lifted a giant, steaming, covered pot onto the counter. There was a pretty decent bang as soon as the metal hit the wood. "Now, I don't need to tell you twice about how hot this gets and that to put it in the stove is the best way to keep it warm."

Fox waved him off and then pointed at Blake. He reached into his pocket and tossed a few lien cards on the counter before he stood up. Coco latched onto his arm before he could wave and dragged him away. Over her shoulder, she grinned at the bewildered Faunus.

"Thanks, Kitten! Give Fox's bro a nice spank on the butt for getting arrested for us!"

Blake faltered for words as her cheeks burned even brighter. The chef counted the lien and chuckled.

"Well, missy, if you didn't feel obligated to do it before, you should now." He said. "Fox paid for your meal, too."

 _With that, I'm sure that I've officially been labeled 'delivery girl' in their minds,_ Blake thought sourly. She sighed and lifted the pot off of the counter, only to gape at the weight.

"Holy cow, how much did you make?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh, that's about sixty servings. Hurry up and get it over to the boy's place. I've never given him cold ramen before, and I refuse to do so after a decade of loyalty," the chef said sternly. Seeing the mild annoyance in Blake's eyes, he added. "Oh, and do it with enough time, I'll take the next three bowls off of any tab you wish to start here."

Blake was gone before he finished his sentence.

* * *

 _This is stupid. Naruto, you're stupid. S-T-U-P-I-D._ Naruto thought to himself as he traversed rooftops until he found the gargoyle that he'd named Murdock once more. Why was he out, dressed up like it was All Grimm's Eve and running around on rooftops in the middle of the night when, in past experience, all that happens is he gets his ass beat and his aura reserves fail to fully recover. Really, he needed to take a day off. Or fall into a coma.

 _Damn thrill-seeking hardheaded stupidity_ , Naruto thought as he plopped down on Murdock's left side. _Fox was right, I_ am _eventually going to get myself killed._

"Murdock, looking gloomy as ever." He said as he pulled off his mask and set it beside him. He looked over the nightlife below. "Vale is far more lively than the past few nights, probably because the kids are all gathering before they go to Beacon. If I were a normal teen, think I'd be down there too? Living it up? Getting wasted...Possibly getting laid...Ugh." Naruto leaned against the gargoyle. "Being a virgin sucks, right, Murdock?"

The gargoyle did not answer.

"I mean, if I get onto a team, then once they find out, I could get ragged on..." Naruto grumbled. He already got enough shit from Junior and his lackies for hire. He was so done with being the butt of someone's joke. Naruto growled in frustration and raked his hands through his hair.

"Gah, what I wouldn't give to have something to vent on." Naruto grumbled. There was a crash of glass that echoed in the air and Naruto turned towards it. A grin spread across his face. "Murdock, I think you're my lucky charm." He mumbled as he got to his feet. The blond pulled his mask back on before he patted Murdock on the head. "Catch ya later. I've got some physical therapy to deal with."

Naruto traversed the rooftops until he stood over the intersection of Rooster Avenue and Teeth Street. Below him was the popular dust shop From Dust 'Til Dawn, owned and managed by the twin brother to Naruto's favorite chef. The window was busted open from the inside. He saw a familiar mix of red, black and white clothes on a man laying on the ground.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. That was one of Junior's grunts. Then he saw the white coated, cane-wielding criminal that was most wanted in Vale. Theft, trafficking (Human, Faunus and drug), drugs of all sorts...pretty much everything short of murder, Roman Torchwick was your man.

"Oh, damn...Junior, what did you get yourself into?" Naruto asked himself as Roman poked the grunt. He blinked as a red blur shot out over Roman's head and landed a good distance away. The blur stood upright and was revealed to be a young girl, with moonlight pale skin. From where he was, Naruto could faintly make out her black and red clothes, the former color acted as the primary scheme of her attire and her red cloak complimented it.

Not to mention the giant ass scythe that rested on her shoulder.

 _Talk about compensation._ Naruto thought with a small smirk of amusement.

"...Well, talk about big surprises coming in small packages," Roman said with a chuckle. The end of his cane rested between his feet, while he held it in both hands. "Hello, Red, aren't you out past your bedtime?"

"My bedtime isn't for another few hours." The girl huffed and her cheeks puffed in outrage. "And I'm not the one breaking the law."

"Well, aren't you just adorable?" Roman chuckled again and then tapped his cane. "Boys, deal with her."

 _And cue entrance_. Naruto thought as the grunts lifted automatic weapons at the young huntress-in-training. He stepped over the ledge and dropped to the ground, his speed diminished by his extensive use of his semblance to create a sort of cushion beneath his feet. As an added bonus, he landed on the back of one of Roman's hired goons, knocking one out in a single blow. Swift, firm, and ruthless strikes from his batons landed on another nearby grunt. He felt both Roman and the girl stare at him as he dealt a final blow across the face of his current 'stress dummy'.

"...Okay, one's taken out by a little girl and the other is taken out by a masked animal." Roman scowled and glared at the other goons. "Junior owes me money..."

"He doesn't offer refunds." Naruto informed the criminal. He raised his batons defensively. "So, question, what's a big time thief like you doing stealing dust?"

"Oh, I like you, beast. You've got spunk. Boys," Roman said to his remaining grunts. "Deal with little Red there while I put this animal down, will you?"

The grunts nodded and rushed at the red-hooded girl while Roman gave Naruto his full attention.

"Wow, all those boys on that one girl and all I get is you? I can see who you're your more worried about. Racist."

"Never said I was a role model, Mongrel," Roman said with a sneer. He pointed at Naruto with his cane and the end flipped up to reveal a reticule. "And yeah, I'm not that worried about you."

A concealed trigger was pulled and a large pink-orange flare fired from Roman's cane. Naruto, of course, countered with his right baton's smaller, but more orange, flare. The two blasts collided and smoke filled the street.

Naruto moved under the cover of the blast. He had his eyes closed behind his mask and utilized his semblance to magnify all disturbances in the air by sound or motion. He turned in the smoke with both batons brought over his left shoulder, before he swung at his target. Roman's cane blocked the strike and he swiveled his cigar from one side of his mouth to the other. The force of the weapon's collision made the smoke disperse immediately.

"You stole my shtick," the thief said with a glare. He'd been using a flare weapon for the past ten years, notoriously the only one to do so, and if Roman was one thing, he was _extremely_ prideful. Seeing some _do-gooder_ using his signature projectile really ruffled his feathers, so to speak.

"'If one steals from a thief, is it still stealing?'" Naruto returned philosophically. Roman's cigar swiveled back to the left corner of his mouth as his eyes narrowed and the corner of Naruto's mouth slightly pulled up into a smirk.

" _Grimm are beasts, emotionless, driven by instinct. Humans and Faunus, however, are easy to agitate and manipulate. Lesson number twelve: To control a fight, you must control your opponent._ " Stick's words echoed in Naruto's head once more.

Roman pulled his cane back and went for a swipe. He wasn't furious, not yet, but he was ruffled. The fact he made the first move didn't escape Naruto's mind. It proved that Roman wanted to end this quickly, which meant either Naruto started to get on his nerves or he was on a time limit.

The masked teen believed it to be a blend of the two.

Naruto ducked under the swipe and countered with a swing of his own. Roman surprised him with impressive reflexes, the cane twisted in his hand and stopped the baton from making contact. A loud gunshot rang out and Naruto pushed himself away from Roman, a grimace on the teen's face.

 _Fifty-caliber, heavy, loud. Long barrel. Sniper. Small scope, heavy barrel and chamber. Close. Where? Where?_ These thoughts raced through the teen's mind as he grabbed his head. Another gunshot made him fall to his knees. Faintly, he could feel Roman's surprised gaze on him and he heard a chuckle.

"Oh, did someone's enhanced senses backfire on them?" Roman asked. Naruto tried to push himself back to his feet, to show he wasn't as disoriented as he felt, but another, closer, _louder_ gunshot made him drop to his hands and knees. His inner ear didn't take too kindly to the constant vibrations and his stomach churned sickly. Naruto cut off his semblance and opened his eyes. The lenses were one sided, allowing him to see out when the time called for it.

 _The girl in red, her scythe._ Naruto watched her use the kinetic force of her weapon's recoil to dodge the grunts' attacks and propel her from one spot to the next. That was...actually _extremely_ clever. Ingenious, even. She was taking advantage of her small stature with a weapon that looked oversized for her. He'd have to ask her where she came up with that idea, it sounded like something that Stick would come up with.

Well, him or one of his many pupils.

Naruto watched from his spot on the ground as the girl tore through her opposition. The last grunt fell after a devastating blow to the gut. The girl frowned in Naruto's direction when she saw where he was and then turned her attention to Roman.

Who was currently running away.

"Stay there, I'll be right back!" The girl called to Naruto, who blanched. He could hear sirens approaching.

 _Yeah, stay here and wait outside the dust shop with unconscious thugs and the approaching police? Sorry, Little Red, but it's not happening tonight._ Naruto pushed himself to his feet and ran the opposite way. He ducked into a nearby alley and scoured the fire escape.

He was completely unaware of the two sets of eyes that watched him.

* * *

Of the two sets, one was green and the other was brown, the former a tall blonde woman and the latter a silver-haired man with a cane in his hand. Green-eyes looked over to Brown-eyes, who merely lifted the mug in his hand to his lips. Green-eyes scoffed and then jumped down to pursue the red-hooded girl and Roman, leaving Brown-eyes where he stood on the rooftop.

 _So_ that _is the younger Alistair. Hm...He would make a good addition to the Circle, Stick._ Brown-eyes mused. _But while I agree, I still have to convince James and Qrow. And then there's Qrow's niece...One step at a time, Ozpin. One step at a time._

* * *

Naruto once more scoured his apartment building's fire escape, quickly and silently. He arrived at the window outside of his suite and used the trick-latch he'd installed to slip in. The second he set his feet inside the apartment, something felt off.

 _Those fifty-calibers must still be messing with me._ Naruto thought as he pulled his mask off and tossed it to the couch.

Instead of hearing the soft crinkle of fabric that would be disrupted by his mask's landing, he heard a solid thump as something intercepted the mask in its descent. Naruto stiffened in place. He quickly drew his right baton, twisted the handle and pointed the loaded barrel at the intruder.

Golden-amber eyes remained cool, calm, and collected despite the barrel in her face. Black cat-like ears twitched at the ambient sounds of the apartment complex. The subtle cock of a small handgun made Naruto's ear twitch, and sure enough, the Faunus' weapon was in her hand and pointed at his stomach, perhaps his heart.

"If this is how you treat guests, I'd hate to see how you'd treat a burglar."

"...I need to get better locks on my door."

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, Ozpin's recruiting. Bet ya didn't see that coming, did ya?**

 **Tell me your thoughts!**

 **REVIEWSKI!**


	5. Cat's In The Cradle

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Forced Perspective**

 **5: Cat's In The Cradle**

* * *

"So..." Blake began, her gun still aimed at Naruto while the unmasked blond kept his stave aimed at her. She stared unblinkingly, unafraid of the weapon pointed at her face, at the blond in front of her. Golden-amber eyes that almost glowed in the dark glanced up and down the defined torso in front of her – it wasn't a _bad_ view, but it wasn't the best she'd seen either – then at the mask she set to the side, and then looked back up at his blue eyes. "What's with the Night Claw thing?"

"Really, _really_ need better locks," Naruto said under his breath. He twisted the handle of his stave and then holstered his weapon. His action made Blake do the same, albeit more hesitantly. Rubbing his face with one hand, Naruto made his way into his kitchen and opened the fridge. "And a drink."

"You're out of milk." Blake's words made Naruto turn around and stare at his 'guest' with wide eyes.

"You came into my house and _drank_ my milk?" He asked. _Who even does that?!_

"No. It was two weeks old." Blake deadpanned while Naruto arched a brow. Sighing at the unasked question, she continued. "I was doing a favor for a mutual acquaintance of ours that required me to enter your apartment. I picked the lock-"

"You sure did." Naruto grumbled as he went to his door and closed it completely before he flipped the lock. "Left the door open, too. What, were you born in a barn?"

"Says the one that climbs into his own apartment through the window like _he's_ breaking into the place. Who even does that?" Blake shot back dryly. She got up off the couch and crossed her arms, watching the blond while he went back to the fridge. "After I entered your apartment, I found a terribly strong odor. How you missed it-"

"For the record, I focus on boosting the abilities of these," Naruto said while he pulled his head out of the fridge and tapped his left ear. Then he moved his finger to tap his nose. "Not this. Tried it once...Didn't end well."

"It's not a terrible thing." Blake's words held more than just an offhanded comment. There was a question.

"What I do in my free time isn't clean. It's not a great pay either." Naruto added, more of a note for himself than it was a comedic quip, but Blake gained a small smirk all the same. He dove back into the fridge to shift multiple bottles and containers around. "You'd be surprised how often someone would defecate when you hit them in the right spot or how much urine can escape an unconscious body."

"Fair enough." Blake shrugged and made her way over to the counter, which she then leaned against. "So basically, I found your expired milk and pitched it. You're not very good at taking care of yourself, are you?"

"What?!" Naruto asked, popping his head back out of the fridge. "He had a look of mock outrage on his face for a brief moment before he crossed his arms. "I have no idea what you're talking abou-!"

Blake held up his scroll and tapped it on the screen with her thumb.

"You have... _ten_... New messages." Beep. " _Hey, Teddy Bear-_ "

"God _dammit_ , Miltia." Naruto groaned into his hand and shut the fridge. He could practically _hear_ Blake's lips twitch slightly.

"– _Just callin' in to make sure that your feeling better. Hit me up!_ " Beep.

"Well, 'Teddy Bear', anything to say?" Blake asked as she canceled the rest of the voicemail's playbacks. She wasn't about to listen to all thirty-five of the mysterious sister figure's worried messages, _again_. It was awkward enough the first time.

"...So, _do_ you want a drink or something?" Naruto asked. He tilted his head slightly and did his best to conceal his smirk at the slight grumble he heard. "A sandwich, maybe?"

"...Tuna if you've got it."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." The blond muttered under his breath as he went back for a third time into the fridge and pulled out the bread, a container and some other items. "What required you to break into my place anyway?"

"I wanted to talk...and like I said, a mutual acquaintance asked me to do a favor," Blake said as her eyes followed Naruto's hands to crack open the container. Stars appeared in her eyes and she _barely_ held her composure as the scent of her favorite fish filled her nostrils.

"What favor was that?" Naruto asked, apparently too engrossed in his task of making a sandwich to notice her collected mask crack. Unnoticed by both, the dark ears atop the girl's head twitched when he opened a drawer and pulled out a butter knife.

"...Uh, to bring you some food." Blake blinked herself out of her momentary stupor. For a solid minute, her eyes remained locked on the bread in his grasp while he spread the tuna with the knife. When the knife stopped, Blake wondered why, why had the best food ever been delayed? It was when she looked back up into two _very_ amused blue eyes that she realized she had been drooling.

"Waiting for so long must've made you _really_ hungry, right?"

Blake's cheeks _burned_. She looked away from his damnably, not at _all_ charming smirk. She chose instead to admire the modern black cabinets that would be far too expensive for any bachelor to obtain on his own. A quick look back at his eyes made Blake's blush darken and look down away again.

"Shut up." She grumbled.

"You owe me a lock," Naruto said as he continued working on the sandwich-in-progress. "And a gallon of milk–"

"It was _expired_."

"That was up for me to decide," Naruto said. He slapped the tuna-clad bread onto another piece of bread. He set the completed sandwich down on the counter and slid it towards her. When she reached for it, he pulled it away and gave her another smirk. "A lock and a gallon of milk you owe me. I figure a little ribbing for payment is fair enough, especially since I made you a sandwich."

"Well, it was either wait for you to come back so we could talk or eat the ramen I was sent to deliver." Blake refuted lowly as she made a grab for the sandwich. Her wrist was caught in a tight grip and she winced. "Hey, ow!"

"Where." Naruto's pupils had dilated and fogged over with desire. Had it not been over a bowl of noodles, though delicious, Blake would've had to lie and say she wasn't flattered.

"Oven, now let go."

Blake didn't even get to finish her sentence before Naruto had released her and ran to his oven, sliding along his knees to the door. He practically ripped the oven open and pulled the massive pot out. With enthusiastic glee, he rose to his feet and set the pot on the countertop.

"Old Man...He _does_ care!" Naruto choked back a sob as he lifted the lid and steam rushed out to cover his face. A set of chopsticks appeared in his hand. "All is forgiven!"

"...Thanks?" Blake asked in horrified fascination as the blond _attacked_ the massive pot of noodles. She would've lost the desire to eat her sandwich had she not done so in the brief moment that it took Naruto to pull his pot out of the oven. Now she was just trying to keeping it down.

In less than fifteen minutes, Blake stared in disbelief as the blond boy scooped up whatever remained in the pot with his finger.

"So," Naruto began after he slurped off the rest of the broth that remained on his thumb, "you find a place to stay 'til school starts?"

"...The Inn's owners gave me a room for the night, but kicked me out this morning. Police holding didn't seem too bad when I walked by it, last night. Doubt they accept payment for extended stays, though." Blake muttered.

"Hm, that seems like a problem." Naruto mumbled as he pushed the pot to the side and tossed his chopsticks into the sink. "Unless you stay with someone. Our mutual friend-?"

"I'm not sleeping at a noodle shop." Blake deadpanned.

"Aww, would you miss me? I'd visit you every day." Naruto teased. He took the crumb thrown at his face like a champ. "Okay, fair point. Then, I guess there's no other option."

Blake tensed as Naruto grabbed his loaf of bread and redid the tie to keep the plastic sealed. He put the bread back in the fridge and closed it. He then pointed at the coffee pot to the side.

"Don't touch my brew, don't stay in the bathroom for more than thirty minutes, don't follow me when I go out, and any ramen in the apartment is off limits unless I say otherwise." Naruto walked out of the kitchen and over to a small cabinet on the side of the living room. Opening it he pulled out a pillow and blanket before he headed to the couch. "Bedroom's at the end of the hall, if the noise bothers you, let me know."

"...Are you offering me your bed?" Blake asked. Oh, she'd had certain offers before from some hot shots back in the White Fang, but they learned she wasn't interested in that sort of slumber party _very_ quickly. Adam wasn't too pleased when he found out either. However, she'd never just been offered a bed before, let alone from a human.

"Yep." Naruto tossed his pillow onto the arm of the couch, atop his mask, and fell face first into it. He pulled the blanket over his shoulders and closed his eyes. "You complaining?"

"...Thanks." Blake's gratitude came out in a surprised whisper and she, in a daze, made her way to the room her host offered.

"Like I said before, Blake," Naruto yawned and snuggled into his pillow. "Not everyone's an asshole..."

* * *

The time had finally come. That morning, bags were packed, tickets were ready and, after a quick stop at the best noodle stand in all of Remnant, Naruto was aboard the airship for Beacon. In hindsight, considering the proximity of the school to the city, he probably could've just taken a cab, but not one who'd really traversed far out of Vale, and aware most newcomers would be venturing through the airships, Naruto had decided his choice was well made.

"Oh, god. Why me?"

The same could _not_ be said for the guy standing next to him.

Naruto looked over at the boy. He was blond, like Naruto, and around his age, if slightly taller. He was much thinner, but judging by the armor thrown over the sweatshirt he wore, he was pretty capable physically, at least, by Beacon's standards. Then there was the fact that he too knew the amazingness that was orange, even if there was less on his person than there was on Naruto, so the younger of the Alistair brothers didn't think the teen could be a bad person.

"Gonna...Gonna..."

 _Probably should move, though._ Naruto decided ultimately when he noticed the slight hint of green make its way across the other blond's cheeks. He vacated the vicinity, moving down to the larger, if not more crowded deck. Parking himself in front of a large window, Naruto examined the view of his home ...or at least what he could see through the clouds.

 _It was quiet for the last few nights,_ he thought. _No White Fang...No Dust Robberies...No way that's going to last._

He clenched his fist. _Four years, Beacon requires four years. Then the rest of my life is mine to do with as I please, be it as a Huntsman or not._

This thought reminded him of his estranged father's opinion on the occupation he coveted above all else.

" _So, you want to be a hero, huh? A shining knight that rides into town and saves the princess? Let me tell you something kiddo. Those things in storybooks aren't heroes. Heroes don't exist. Don't get me wrong, I think Huntsmen and Huntresses do a decent job when they go out play with the Grimm outside the walls of the Kingdoms. That doesn't stop the darkness within the walls from existing. Piece of advice, don't try to be a_ hero _, goin' away from the danger – denying it exists – just to kill some beasts. It doesn't solve any problems, at worst it makes more and at best it delays the inevitable. Do the Right Thing._ "

The Right Thing.

One could argue that Huntsmen and Huntresses do, in fact, do the 'Right Thing' every time they leave the walls of the Kingdoms, of the small settlements scattered across Remnant. They prevent Grimm from destroying them, wiping them from the face of the planet. Huntsmen and Huntresses _are_ heroes...and yet.

And. Yet.

Laws of the Kingdoms bind them, they cannot act against someone they _know_ to be a criminal. Hell, such a person could even employ them without them knowing it! Huntsmen and Huntresses may or may not be heroes, but they are still just Humans and Faunus, made of flesh and blood. They're stronger than average _people_ , sure, but they are not all seeing. They can't stop everything bad that happens, within _and_ outside the walls.

If they could, would Faunus be subject to such ostracism? Would the White Fang's terrorist acts have ever gone so far? Would the Schnee Dust Company ever become so surrounded by rumors and accusations?

Would a little boy had been kidnapped, right out of his own home, and held hostage for something he didn't understand?

Questions like these drove Naruto to do what he did with his evenings. As far as he could remember, he and Fox had lived on the streets. They witnessed things that should _never_ be seen or heard, especially by children. Things he wanted to forget, but couldn't when he tried. Things that gave him nightmares. Fox became mute, evidence of the mark their time in the darkness left on them.

Naruto wished he had gotten so lucky.

Then he met Stick, and his life turned around. He gained a father who gave him a home and his own form of love. He and his brother were trained to defend themselves. To defend their home, the city, and any other like it. To protect the people, regardless of species, from the monsters that walked among them. Hiding in the shadows, those monsters would lash out at the weak and prey upon the unprepared.

Naruto tightened his grip on the railing and kept his gaze locked on the faint outline of the city through the clouds that became further and further away.

Not if he had anything to say about it.

Vale was his home. Vale was his city.

He'd fight to the last breath to keep it safe.

From monsters and Grimm alike.

 _Beacon will help me do that._ Naruto thought firmly. He was pulled from his thoughts at a boisterous proclamation that, even without his semblance's assistance, he would've surely heard for miles.

"Hey, Baby face! Over here!"

Naruto looked and his pensive frown turned into a small grin when a familiar face waved him down.

Oh yes. Going to Beacon was a great idea.

* * *

Moments earlier, Yang Xiao Long was already a happy girl.

"I still can't believe this! This is the best!" The blonde squealed and wrapped her arms around the shorter, silver-eyed girl that wore a red cloak. "Not only do I get to go to Beacon to become a kickass Huntress, but I get to do so with my awesome little sister!"

"Yang! Air! Need! Air!" Ruby Rose choked out while her face started to match her cloak in shade and color.

"Oh, sorry." Yang released her sister and let her fall to the floor. While Ruby panted and caught her breath, Yang rubbed her neck guiltily. The mild frown sent her way didn't help in the slightest.

"Geez, Yang...You could've killed me." Ruby's frown became a pout. "That's exactly what I need before going to a new school."

"Aw, don't be like that, Ruby!" Yang gave her little sister a bright grin. "You're fifteen and going to Beacon! I'm sure you'll be the bee's knees."

"I don't _want_ bee's knees!" Ruby groaned and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked away. "I just want normal knees. Not get arrested and accepted to Beacon knees."

"You're overreacting," Yang said with a wave of her hand. "It'll be great! Think of all the friends you'll make!"

"Ugh, move!" A blond boy stumbled by them with his hands over his mouth. Yang and Ruby followed him as he disappeared into the back.

"Yeah, I'm sure I will." Ruby mumbled. "Think he's okay?"

"He's probably fi-i-ine..." Yang trailed off as she did a quick double take. Lilac eyes brightened considerably as they fell onto a familiar shade of blond hair that was atop the head of a whisker-faced boy. He wore a bit too much for her liking, having etched his defined torso into memory, but the loose black and orange hooded jacket suited him. And the way he filled in those jeans...it was a sight for sore eyes.

After she'd left her sister unsupervised in a dust store that was robbed while she went over to a club instead and then go back to some guy's apartment with two other girls – how her dad found out about that, Yang still didn't know – she had been grounded from taking her bike out until she and Ruby had to get to the airship. Yang was more than upset with the punishment, since that meant she wouldn't be able to take him up on his offer of availability. Considering how close to missing their flight – which was all Ruby's fault, needing to dismantle and reassemble Crescent Rose for the eighth time that morning – she'd thought he'd have moved on to finding other company.

 _Thankfully, I was wrong._ Yang grinned and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey, Baby face! Over here!"

"Yang, what are you doing!?" Ruby asked through the bizarre cross between a whisper and a shriek. The other students-to-be had turned their attention to the two sisters and all those eyes made Ruby, who was always just a little nervous around Yang's friends in school, uncomfortable. She tried to disappear behind her sister, only to be held in place.

"Relax, Rubes," Yang said with a smile. "Baby Face won't bite."

"Well, not much, anyway." Naruto added off-handedly with a small a grin. Yang's eyes roamed happily – and quickly – over his form, a sight she sorely missed during her imprisonment. His jacket was unzipped to reveal a white V-neck tee shirt that fit oh-so-snuggly to his chest and the shirt's neckline fell low to reveal a small amount of that marvelous view. Then when they returned to his face, though his eyes were still covered by his sunglasses, he had lost his small grin and in its place was a playful frown. "You never called. Was I that bad?"

 _Misleading innuendos? Oh, Dad would love you if he didn't already want to kill you for having me in your house._ Yang thought with her grin still in place.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Yang said. She stepped forward and put her hand on the whiskered boy's arm, rubbing it soothingly. "I promise to make it up to you, Baby face."

"I don't know...I mean, I showed you my special talent. Then you went up and forgot about me." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "I think that's a pretty big bill to be paid."

Yang was about to say something that would've made him hooked, but then a third party decided to get involved. A third party with a _feminine_ voice.

"All she'd have to do is get you a bowl of ramen."

 _...Whoa, wait a minute. Who was that?_ Yang thought with a frown as Naruto addressed the speaker without turning around.

"Thought you wanted to read?" He asked.

Yang's eyes narrowed slightly as a black haired girl walked up to stand beside the boy she'd become interested in. A large black bow rested atop her head and a ribbon was wrapped around her arm. Her formfitting white and black clothes fit a bit too well for Yang's liking, but damn they looked good. The girl's golden-amber eyes and the light application of makeup did well for her, too.

 _Damn. I'd kill to be able to wear that shade._ Yang thought ruefully as she eyed the newcomer, who stood at Naruto's side and glanced at him briefly.

"You made too much noise."

"I didn't make _any_ noise." Naruto cracked a small grin. "If anyone's made too much noise today, it's you, Blake."

"That was _your_ fault." Blake hissed.

"I'm sorry, I thought _you_ were the ninja." Naruto shot back, turning to address the girl. He arched a brow and regained his small smile. "Or does that title get put on the shelf in the mornings with the rest of your books?"

"Cute. Really." Blake drawled.

"You know you love me, _Kitten_." Naruto purred and tapped the girl on the nose. He laughed gently when she smacked his hand away.

 _...Okay, this girl is toast._ Yang thought, her eyes flashed red while the girl huffed and turned back to face her.

"Is there something wrong?" Blake asked the blonde giving her the evil eyes. Literally, they were glowing red. That _wasn't_ normal. Even with the shit that Naruto got himself into.

"No, nothing at all." The buxom girl said, a sweet smile on her face while her eyes turned into a lilac shade. Her arms crossed beneath her bust, drawing eyes from all around to the impressive cleavage as she enhanced it.

Blake resisted the urge to growl.

 _Yeah, sure._ Blake thought as she stared the slightly taller girl down and crossed her arms over her chest. She was not about to get into a dick-measuring contest with some girl she just met, but her ingrained instincts wouldn't let her back down from the challenge.

 _Oh, you don't want to play in these big leagues, sweet cheeks. You'll get burned._ Yang thought with a narrowed gaze. Her forced grin became a smirk filled with anticipation. _The second she makes a move, I'm punching her lights out._

 _As long as I keep my gaze even, I'll win._ Blake thought. She balled her hands into fists. _If she tries to pull something, I'll give her a haircut._

* * *

Feeling a thick tension fill the air, Naruto looked between the two girls nervously. They reminded him of when Melanie and Miltiades would fight. Something, however, was different. He couldn't put his finger on it, and just when he thought he had it, the train of thought derailed when he swore he saw lightning dance between the two girls' eyes.

"Oh, god..." Ruby mumbled and used her semblance to take shelter behind the blond guy. She could've sworn the new girl had a panther behind her and Yang had a bear!

Naruto glanced over his shoulder and looked at her. "Uh, you mind?"

"Too scared."

 _Smart kid._ Naruto decided. That is, until he remembered that she was the same girl who fired off several high caliber rounds while he tried to fight Roman Torchwick. To be fair, she didn't know he used his hearing as an impromptu sight.

On the other hand, his ears still rang from time to time whenever he passed by that street...

"So, Baby Face, who's your friend?" Yang asked.

"Blake Belladonna," Blake said curtly. "And you?"

"Yang Xiao Long's the name, but for the record. I wasn't talking to you, Blake-y." Yang chirped a little too sweetly.

" _Don't_ call me that." Blake growled. She couldn't hold it in.

"Well, it's either that or something _else_." Yang had a few choice titles for women of the night in mind. Blake's knuckles whitened and her eyes glowed.

Ruby yelped and ducked further behind Naruto. _The Panther just took a swipe at the Bear!_

"Okay, girls, I would like to see a catfight between you two as much as the next guy, but I'm putting my foot down." Naruto stepped forward and nearly choking when their eyes turned his way. _Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god. They're going to kill me. They're going to rip me into tiny little pieces and-No!_ No _! Backbone, you stay right there, dammit! We are all adults! They will be mature! Okay! Now that I'm not going to soil my pants, all I have to do is say something impressive that'll get them to stop!_

"I mean for God's sake, you're scaring the little girl!"

 _...Way to be impressive, Naruto. You goddamn idiot._ Naruto silently scolded himself while he stood to the side and exposed the now spotlighted Ruby from her hiding place. The silver-eyed girl wilted under her sister and the Faunus-in-hiding's intense gazes. She fled with a yelp back to the sanctuary that was behind Naruto.

"Er..." The two girls, snapped from their daze at Naruto's reveal, looked around and winced when they met the disappointed or angry stares sent their way. Though, the latter could've been aimed at Naruto for interrupting the catfight that would've started had he not said anything. They exchanged another look – calling it a _glare_ would be too generous, in Naruto's opinion – before they walked away in opposite directions.

"...Holy shit it worked." Naruto whispered with wide-eyed disbelief.

"You said a bad word!" Ruby gasped.

"...What are you twelve?"

"Fifteen!"

"...I...Uh..." Unable to find a proper retort for that answer, Naruto reverted to an old trick he learned from, not stick, but Melanie. He pointed in the direction Yang stalked off to. "Look, a distraction!"

"Where!?" Ruby asked, rushing past him and then coming to a stop when she realized what he had said. "Hey, wait a minute!"

Naruto was gone when she turned around to pout at him.

"Aww...Whoa!" Ruby rushed to the windows as did many of the others as they parted through the clouds. Her eyes sparkled and her smile widened. The glimmering white clock tower was what she saw first, and it made her swell up in pride as she thought about her parents. "So that's Beacon...I'm one step closer, Mom. I'll make you proud."

She didn't notice the hooded teen standing beside her smirk and release his jacket's zipper.

 _Not a bad reason, kid. Wish mine was as simple as that._ Naruto thought as his gaze went to the approaching white buildings. _Though, she needs to work on paying attention to her surroundings. Man, Yang and Blake, though...would've thought they'd hit it off a bit better. I wonder what that was all about._

Yet another question that would never be answered. Naruto didn't mind it though, he focused on the academy, where his brother currently attended. Where he'd sacrifice four years to study the art of Hunting. All to make his city, his _home_ , a safer place.

 _Look out, Beacon._ He thought with a small smile. _Naruto Alistair-_

Blarg.

 _...Is going to kill someone._ Naruto's eye twitched furiously as the puking blond boy from earlier let loose all over his feet. It was even spreading to the rest of the deck. Reigning in his murderous intent, Naruto walked over to the seats nearby and slipped off his shoes. Then yanked off his socks. Silently, he walked over to the stairs to the upper level, leaving his shoes and socks as tribute.

He had brought spares for a reason.

 _Not the epic start I wanted to have, but, at least it can't get worse from here, right?_ Naruto thought optimistically. In twenty-four hours' time, he'd be cursing himself for being dumb enough to even think those words. For now, it was just the beginning of a new trial, and Naruto, though barefooted, thought he was ready and welcomed the challenge.

 _Beacon Academy..._ He thought while he leaned against the second deck's railing. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses and a small smirk spread across his face.

 _Hit me with your best shot._

* * *

 **AN: Wow…Yeah...This took a while – understatement – but I was holding off on Daredevil for so long...And Flash Season 2...Ugh, just life in general…**

 **But enough excuses!**

 **Thanks for reading, now y'all know what to do!**

 **REVIEW!**


	6. Song of Weiss and Fire

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Forced Perspective**

 **6: A Song of Weiss and Fire**

* * *

 _Thank you Stick for teaching me to be prepared for anything._ Naruto thought as he walked off of the airship with a new set of socks and shoes on his feet. He heard further retching occur behind him and shook his head. When he wasn't covered in barf, he felt kind of bad, but the other blond guy needed to get his nerves under control.

 _That or eat less before getting on an airship._ Naruto chuckled. He closed his eyes behind his sunglasses and reached out with his semblance to take hold of the sound waves in the air. He dismissed the unnecessary noises – nonsensical chatter of new students and reminiscent chatter of old – and focused on the sound of struggle that came from nearby. Following it with his unique form of echolocation, Naruto came across an older man dressed in fine white clothes, pushing several enormous and polished suitcases on a dolly.

Or at least, he was trying to.

Readjusting his bag's strap to cross over his chest, Naruto opened his eyes and made his way towards the man. He made it just in time to see the girl that was glued to Yang's side – Yang's sister, he remembered overhearing, but held reservations about it. Then again, he and Fox looked vastly different so maybe it wasn't all that impossible – bowl into the cart and the elderly man was knocked to the ground. A faint crack made Naruto frown.

 _This guy is way too old to be pushing this thing. That or he's not getting proper medical care. Boy, wouldn't the media just_ love _to hear that?_ He thought as he walked up to the downed older man and offered him his hand.

"You all right, sir?" He asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Don't mind me." The older man sighed as he slowly got to his feet and dusted his pants off, ignoring Naruto's offered hand. He looked at the toppled cart and let out another sigh. "Miss Weiss won't be happy about this..."

"...Weiss?" Naruto repeated with a small blink as he retracted his hand. "Weiss Schnee? Heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation?"

"Of course." The man said. He adjusted his jacket and then proceeded to pick up the cart and its contents. "And I am Klein, head butler of the Schnee household."

"...If you're the head butler of the household, then what are you doing all the way out here?" Naruto asked as he began to help where he could. He kept his head down and his attention on the older man while helped pick up the fallen suitcases.

"Miss Weiss' about to start a new chapter of her life. One her father wasn't particularly excited for her to begin and thus sent me to oversee her arrival." Klein explained as he carefully placed the cases back onto the dolly.

"Protective, huh?" Naruto carried two large cases over to the dolly and rearranged them so it would be less likely to topple. "At least he's not as bad as the papers make him out to be."

"Don't get me started on the media." Klein scoffed. "It's because of them that those animals in the White Fang have become so outspoken. Honestly, before all the bombings and rumors and what have you there was a rather tentative peace between the company and the Faunus populous. Then one worker gets fired and drunk and talks to the wrong person and now we've got all these self-righteous, insufferable _beasts_ -"

"Oh god! Someone, hurry! Get a doctor!" A new voice interjected. Naruto and Klein turned to see the puke boy from the airship rush over to a garbage can near them. Both grimaced at the poor soul's weak stomach and Klein sighed before he looked at the other butler-dressed individual.

"Curse my kind nature. Jasper, take Miss Weiss' things to where they belong," He said to the younger hired help, who nodded and took the cart of things from the older man. Klein turned to Naruto and smiled apologetically. "Thank you once more, but as a medic, I must assist those in need of aid."

"Served in Atlas?" Naruto asked. Klein shook his head.

"Mantle's militia before it was abolished and Atlas' damned robotics took our place. They do well, but, men must make livings somehow, mustn't they?" Klein asked. The blond nodded and bid the older man farewell before he continued on his way. Or he would've, were it not for the sudden explosion and then the abrupt plunge into darkness.

* * *

Naruto awoke in a room with a bright light shining down on him.

" _A good Huntsman is_ always _aware of their surroundings, boys. Your blessing is a curse and your curse a blessing, the reasons behind them can change on a whim, as can the tides of battle."_

Of course Stick's words of wisdom were the first thing Naruto thought of after he was roused back into consciousness by the strong scent of ammonia that was shoved in his nose. The old man lived to chide the Alistair brothers on their failures. And boy wouldn't he have loved to be here to mock Naruto's lowered guard.

 _Stubborn, sadistic old prick._

"Well, look who's up," said a girl's voice. Naruto blinked a few times and pushed himself into a seated position before he looked at the girl in the auburn themed attire. He stared at her for a moment, trying to place her face in his memories. She smiled and pulled her sunglasses off, revealing two brown eyes that stared into his. "We haven't met yet, and frankly that's quite a shame."

"Yeah...Sorry, but," Naruto rubbed his face and grimaced at a throb of pain. "Who _are_ you?"

"Name's Coco Adel. Second year," the girl, Coco, said. She sat down in one of the chairs nearby and crossed her arms, a coy smile on her face. "I'm surprised you're not interesting in knowing more about _where_ you are or what happened."

"I can guess," Naruto said. He let his head lull back to the pillow and stared at the obnoxious light fixture that hung over him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "White walls, bright lights, a crap pillow and a lingering odor of cleaning fluid? Size indicates that it's a not a hospital, and knowing that I was outside of Beacon before the lights went out leads me to conclude I'm in a nurses' office or the equivalent of it. Probably going to be watched for a few hours since I blacked out after an impact like that instead of brushing it off."

"He mentioned you would be quick on the uptake, but wow. Color me impressed," Coco said. Naruto tilted his head to look at the older girl for a minute, the open chair beside her, and then at the door. He looked back at her with a dry stare.

"You're part of Fox's team."

"Cute, smart, _and_ a younger model?" She chuckled, sat back and folded one leg over the other. "I should consider trading in."

"I'd love to continue this back and forth, but I can _feel_ Fox's glare through the wall," Naruto said. He glanced at the door. "And he could at least _tell the nurse I don't need to stay!_ "

Fox shook his head as he walked into the room with two other people, both were laughing softly like Coco was at Naruto's complaint. The first was a giant of a teen who dressed in what were simple, yet somehow extravagant robes that favored green and brown. The second was another girl, her clothes were also an earthy color scheme, and she had two rabbit ears atop her head.

"I'm sure Fox would love to introduce you, but I'll do it in his stead-" Coco began.

Fox held his hand up to stop her and approached the bed. He held his fist out and Naruto grinned before he reciprocated the act of what the kids on the street called a "fist bump." The Alistair brothers kept their knuckles pressed together for a good five minutes, and they pulled their hands away when the younger Alistair began to laugh.

"Wow, seriously? That's weird, Fox," he said as he leaned back and rested his hands behind his head. "Starting to rethink this whole academy thing if we're just going to be grouped like that."

Fox let out a silent chuckle and nodded. Coco looked between the two and then looked at her teammates, both looked as bewildered as she was.

"What just happened?" she asked. The younger Alistair waved her off.

"It's a thing we developed a _long_ time ago," Naruto said. He sat up and gave a small wave to the other two students. "Nice to meet you, Yatsuhashi. You too, Velvet."

"...O-kay...We'll be discussing your contact telepathy later," Coco said, giving Fox a pointed look. The older Alistair shrugged off her glare and turned to Naruto. He then promptly cracked the blond across the side of his head.

"Ow, Fox, what the hell!?" Naruto glared at his blind brother. Fox made a series of quick and sudden gestures with his hand before he punched Naruto in the head again. The blond yowled and recoiled away. "Jeez-us! It wasn't my fault! I was helping someone out!"

Fox shook his head. He held up his middle and ring finger, then flicked them down, before he crossed his arms. Naruto stared at him with a twitching eye.

"I was the one caught in the explosion, ya jerk!"

Fox arched a brow.

"Yeah, I know!" Naruto scowled and rubbed his abused head. "Swear to god, I don't know who's worse at making fun of me: You or Stick."

Fox deadpanned.

"...Shut up."

"Ahem," Coco coughed into her fist and leveled a dry stare on the two. "As entertaining as it is to see such brotherly love, would someone care to explain why they were in an explosion?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be lying here." Once he was sure Fox wasn't going to hit him again, Naruto scowled and crossed his arms. "Mark my words, whoever did catch me in the explosion has one hell of an apology to give."

"And here I thought all would be forgiven if you were given noodles," Coco said. Fox snorted while Velvet and Yatsuhashi shared a confused look.

"Hey, I prioritize! Breaking and entering is forgivable by ramen, nearly blowing me up, that's a whole different story!" Naruto argued. The four older students stared at him. He blinked. "What? What'd I say?"

"Breaking and entering?" Coco asked. Fox stared for another moment before he palmed his head. He then gave Coco a half-hearted backhand across the arm. The girl looked at him sharply. "Hey! This isn't a training session, Fox."

Fox pointed at his head, then Velvet's ears, and then Naruto. Coco blinked before she gasped.

"No!"

Fox nodded.

"You really think she-?"

Fox nodded.

"Wow! ...Now that's quality service," Coco said. She rubbed her chin and addressed the confused blond. "The break in may have been Fox's fault."

Fox crossed his arms and drummed his fingers.

"What? You paid for it. I was distracted by the Cherie in the window," she said. Fox arched a brow and made a fist, before he extended all but his index finger. Coco scowled at him. "Those are fighting words, Alistair!"

"Uh, Coco?" Yatsuhashi stepped forward and cleared his throat. He gestured to himself and Velvet, before gesturing to Naruto. "Care to fill us in?"

"She doesn't have to fill me in," Naruto said. He shook his head at his brother. "Your type is so painfully obvious, bro."

Fox tilted his head in thought...

...And then cracked Naruto across the head for a third time.

"Ah, god, why is it always three's?!"

"Long story short, Fox and I got a cute Faunus girl to deliver ramen to next year's model," Coco said. "Apparently, she broke into his apartment to deliver."

"...H-How do you get all of that from him?" Velvet asked. Fox gained a sly grin and Coco put her sunglasses back on.

"That, my little cottontail, is a secret." She smiled and made for the door. "C'mon, let's go tell Nurse Skrashensnif that Fox's baby brother is well enough to join the rest of the fresh meat."

"Don't you mean _freshmen_?" Naruto asked. Yatsuhashi chuckled and Velvet giggled behind her hand as they followed their team leader out. Worried, the younger Alistair turned to the older. "Doesn't she mean _freshmen_?"

Fox merely reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair before he walked out of the room. The blond sat with a twitch in his eye. His brother had completely blown him off. His brother's team had rattled his already exploded nerves. To top it all off, his brother's school seemed to be cursed. That or Naruto was.

"...I should've gone to Shade instead..."

* * *

"Must you really?" Blake sighed as she turned the page in her book. Her question was directed at the blond teen that had dropped his sack beside her. Her gaze remained glued to her novel, despite the impressive physical feat going on beside her.

"Hey, some of these guys seem like snorers and those girls look suspicious! They keep giving me weird looks," Naruto huffed. "Sorry if I feel safer next to my roommate."

"I meant, must you do that?" she asked, looking up from her book to catch the blond in the midst of a one-handed, vertical push up. He paused once his arm extended and blinked at her.

"Blake," he said. "I'm trying to keep in shape. I'm usually out right now patrolling the streets-"

"Vigilantism is _illegal_."

"Says the former equal rights terrorist." Naruto muttered. He jumped on his hand to avoid the Blake's attempted kick. Once his balance was retained, he glowered at the girl. "Hey, chill out, Ms. Noir! I'm being quiet and no one is listening to our conversation. ...I think."

"Just keep it to yourself. Why are you sleeping by me, anyway?" Blake asked. She looked up from her book to level the blond with a dry stare. "Don't you have other friends?"

"No." Naruto said, his brows furrowed together as he tried to focus on his task and hold conversation. "Don't know anyone aside from you or Yang. She and her sister are buried in the center of the girls side, not to mention she seems like the grabby type."

"Yeah, well," Blake's cheeks burned as she looked back at the pages in her hand. "So are you."

"I told you not to try and wake me up. You've only yourself to blame for the rope burns." Naruto chuckled when the Faunus flushed and ducked back into her book. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you _liked_ it."

"I will cut your hand off."

"That'd suck. I like this hand. We've been through so much together. Stick's training, puberty, ah...Memories..." Naruto smiled. He shook his head and switched arms. "Like I said, I feel safer around my roommate. Not to mention, you're wearing your sexy yakuta. Much easier on the eyes than most of these gals' plain ole pajamas."

This time, Blake's kick didn't miss. Naruto spilled onto the floor with a groan and he glowered at the cat's smirk.

"Geez, if this is what you do to guys that compliment you, I'd hate to see what you do to someone that asks you out," he said as he got back on one hand and resumed his exercise. "Unless, they're into that sort of thing."

"Pervert."

"I'm seventeen. It's what I do." Naruto shrugged, his pace and effort not changing in the slightest. He stopped mid descent when he caught sight of an approaching figure. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh?" Blake asked, looking up with a confused frown. "What could be-? Oh."

"Evening, Baby Face. How's it hanging?" Yang asked as she admired the show before her. Shirtless, lounge pants, and what hinted at loose boxers? Oh yeah, Yang loved a free show and what a show it was. If only she didn't have to appreciate it in the presence of his company. "Blakey, have a nice day?"

"It wasn't terrible until this one interrupted my reading." Blake muttered with a nod to the now frowning blond.

"Hey, I'm the one that was blown up. A little sympathy would be nice!" Naruto frowned.

"You're fine." Blake rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah he is," Yang said, grinning at her fellow blond. "Is that how he disrupted your reading?"

Blake glowered at her, but refused to answer. She was not going to give either blonde ammo, be it for friendly teasing or for not so friendly verbal combat. Her gaze went back to her book.

"I choose to take your silence as a yes," Naruto said. He flipped to his feet and then grabbed a small towel from his bag. He dried off the sweat that gathered around his face and threw the towel over his shoulder, before he crossed his arms and grinned at Yang. "So, what'd I miss? I asked Blake, but she wasn't very helpful. All she said was that it was almost time to sleep-"

"And I _really_ want to finish my chapter." Blake added. Naruto glanced at her and then held his hands up in resigned defeat.

"See what I mean?" he asked. "No help whatsoever."

"Well, turns out Blakey helped Ruby out before Ozpin's speech," Yang said. She stepped to the side and pulled Ruby forward. The younger sister yelped at being thrown in the spotlight, and the older grinned. "Go on, sis. Make a friend while Baby Face and I catch up."

"Uh...Well, thanks, Blake," Ruby said. The older girl sighed and looked up at her with a small smile.

"It's fine, Ruby. Really. Weiss Schnee should've known better than to jostle some Dust around like that," Blake said. She chuckled a bit. "Although, I have heard a few others calling you Crater Face, so keep an eye out for that."

"Aww," Ruby said with slumped shoulders. She glowered at her snickering sister. "This is all your fault!"

"It's not my fault you blew up, Sis. You should've watched where you were going," Yang said. "Or at least not inhaled that dust. You know you have explosive allergies."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up!" Naruto pointed at Ruby with narrowed eyes. "Did _you_ blow me up!? With a _sneeze_?"

"Uh, maybe?" Ruby let out a sheepish laugh and rubbed her arm. "Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

"...There will be a reckoning, Ruby Rose. Maybe not today, likely not tomorrow, but a reckoning will come," Naruto said. He grinned, the toothy smile sending a chill up the girls' spines. "And it will be glorious. To me. Not you. Thought I should clarify that bit."

"...Oh...Okay..." Ruby gulped and then glared at her sister. "See!? I told you this was a bad idea! Now I'm back to negative friends!"

"It doesn't work like that, Ruby," Yang sighed. She gave her fellow blond a pout. "Can't you just let this one go? For me?"

"Yeah, sure-No." Naruto deadpanned. He pointed at the younger sister. "She humiliated me, and got me under scrutiny from my older brother. There will be a reckoning. A prank-filled reckoning."

"Oh, okay. Just keep me out of it." Yang grinned. "And try not to hurt my sister."

"Done." Naruto nodded. He went back to his bag and began to dig around in it.

"Yang!" Ruby whined. The older girl shrugged.

"You dug your own grave on this one, Rubes," she said. She looked back at Naruto, who was now seated next to Blake and flipped through a small orange notebook. "At least Baby Face won't hurt you. Right?"

"Now, I could use Fry-Bye, but where would I get enough tomatoes?" Naruto tapped his pencil on his chin. He scrunched his nose up in thought before he beamed. "Oh, that's a good idea! Way better than Fry-Bye!"

"...I don't want to know," Blake said. She stuck her nose back into her book, determined to keep her hands clean. The cold chill up her spine got a bit worse, though, when another person stepped into the conversation.

"Do you even know how loud you all are? Some of us are trying to sle-Oh, not you again!" The newcomer and Yang groaned simultaneously.

Naruto looked up from his notes at the groan. He arched a brow and tilted his head. The girl currently arguing with Yang and her sister was ... _short_. Oh, she was cute, there was no doubt about that, but even compared to Ruby, the white haired girl in the light blue nightgown was short.

 _I wonder if that works in her favor? Considering she looks like a porcelain doll. Although, she's got quite the attitude to make up for her height. She's almost kind of snobby. Maybe it's a defense mechanism, to help her deal with the stress of being a Schnee?_ Naruto wondered. He closed his eyes and grinned. _Then again, I had an attitude when I was a runt. Ah, who am I kidding? I still have an attitude._

"I'm never going to be able to finish this," Blake sighed as she closed her book. Naruto glanced at the girl from the corner of his eyes, then looked down at the novel.

"Well, considering that's the longest of the trilogy, it doesn't surprise me," he said. Blake arched a brow and he shrugged. "What? I like the fantasy genre."

"It's not a fantasy," she said.

"One guy with two souls in his body? Fighting for control?" Naruto grinned and went back to his notes. "Sounds pretty fantastic to me."

"Funny."

"I like to think so."

"You still want the light?"

"You do remember who you're talking to, right?"

"Shut up, Naruto." Blake shook her head and blew out her candles while Naruto snickered.

"Night, roomie."

While Blake settled into her sleeping bag, Naruto leaned against his rucksack and continued to scribble in his notes, all while listening to the three girls argue. Their noise reminded him of Vale's nightlife. Naruto frowned and he looked out a nearby window at the night sky.

 _I hope I made the right choice,_ he thought.

* * *

"Hey, hurry up, Ren-!" a cheerful voice cut itself short as the shower stall curtain was drawn back. Two blue eyes opened and the smile on the speaker's face fell. "Oh. You're not Ren."

"I would hope not, otherwise I'd have to question everything I know about myself." Naruto deadpanned. He crossed his arms and stared down the girl that was either bolder than any other or just didn't care about gender segregation. Either way, he liked her: Her hair was orange.

"Heh, my bad." The girl scratched the back of her head. She held her hand out. "Nora Valkyrie, pleased to meet you."

"I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that," Naruto said. He waited for her to take the hint, but ultimately sighed and took her hand. "Naruto Alistair."

"G' morning, Al!" Nora shook his hand. She put her hands on her hips and gave him a once over. Then she looked him in the eyes and grinned. "Is that with shrinkage? _Nice_."

"Get. Out."

"Well, someone's a Grumpy Gus this morning!" Nora huffed. She closed the curtain and walked over to the next stall. "C'mon, Ren-Dang it!"

"Hey, what the heck!?"

"Morning! My name's Nora Valkyrie!"

"GET OUT OF MY SHOWER!"

"Geez, why's every guy so rude? The girls were much more willing to talk!"

Naruto won't lie, he enjoyed thinking about the girls "talking" while he rinsed out his hair. He turned off the shower's hot water before that train of thought really woke him up. That Nora chick already saw more of him than he wanted to share.

Heck, even Blake didn't get as much of an eyeful when she walked in on him during that first week she stayed at his place. To be fair, she probably didn't consider he'd be using it at six in the morning because of his nightly activities.

 _And I doubt she didn't see anything. I don't think I've ever seen someone's face turn so red before from seeing 'nothing',_ Naruto thought with a chuckle as he wrapped his towel around his waist and turned off his shower. He stuck his head out and peered around for Nora. He didn't see her anywhere, so felt it safe to step out, dry off, and dress.

Naruto walked out of the men's room in what he decided would be his huntsman gear. He wore rusted orange pants that had black pads on the hips and tucked them into his black boots. On his right thigh was the holster for his short sticks, and on the left was a canister for dust crystals to insert into his flare-stick. White athletic tape was wound around his hands and fingers to give them light protection. A mesh armor shirt added an extra layer of protection beneath his rust orange racing jacket, which had black pads along the shoulders, arms, back and chest for extra protection.

 _The damn thing took long enough to get to my apartment,_ Naruto thought bitterly as he zipped the jacket up to his neck and tightened the sides to reduce any resistance. He finished his look by pulling out a long black cloth from his locker that he then tied around his eyes and over his hair.

A wolf whistle brought a chuckle from his lips, and he turned to grin at the source.

"I take it I pass the aesthetic test?" Naruto asked. He could feel Yang's grin match his own as she flicked the padding on his left arm.

"And then some. You look like a package begging to be ripped open," Yang said. She circled him once and stopped in front of him. "Seems kind of bland, though. Needs more color."

"Hey, you never know when you've got a mission that goes against someone else's," Naruto said as he closed his locker and then leaned against it. "I was raised by a practical man, sorry my colors are limited to black, orange and white."

"The tigers of West Anima get through thick brush in the same three colors just fine," Blake said as she approached the two blonds. She arched a brow and then shook her head. "Naruto, why are you wearing that stupid thing on your head?"

"Because I've got BIID," Naruto said with a shrug. "And I like it."

"You're going to run into a tree."

"I'll legally change my name if I do."

"I think it's a bit much, Baby Face," Yang said. She frowned and crossed her arms. She leaned forward to draw the rest of the locker room's attention to her bust. "After all, how can you see my sexy clothes if you keep your face covered?"

"A good question. But think about it this way, Yang. Now I can't look at anyone else," he said. He grinned and tapped his head. "And I've got a pretty good idea of what you're wearing."

"Oh, you do, do you?" Yang grinned.

"I think I'm gonna barf," Ruby gagged as she walked up to them. She smiled at Blake. "Morning, Blake!"

"Ruby." Blake nodded. She looked at Naruto and put a hand on his arm. "I'm going to the cliff."

"Meet'cha there," Naruto said with a nod. He faced Ruby's direction, unaware of the heated stare-down that Yang and Blake had as the latter left. "Morning, Ruby."

"Uh, g-good morning, Naruto," Ruby said, swallowing.

"Relax, kid. I'm not going to prank you until after this initiation is over," Naruto said. He heard Ruby's relief wash over her in a loud sigh and he grinned. "That said, whether you or I pass or fail, be ready for the pranking of a lifetime."

"Oh...Wonderful." Ruby whimpered. "I'll catch up with you later, Yang. Bye Naruto."

She turned and walked away towards a nearby group that, from what Naruto could hear, included the puking guy, Weiss Schnee and some other person. A girl, he thinks.

"So, now that it's just you and me, wanna take that mask off?" Yang asked.

"And risk seeing another girl? Yang, I may have been born on a day, but it wasn't yesterday," Naruto scoffed.

"Oh, he thinks he's cute, does he?"

"Girl, I'm _adorable_."

Naruto smirked and began to walk out of the locker room. He stopped, went rigid, and muffled a yelp when a clap silenced the room. Another wolf whistle rang out, this one from a bit farther away, but he could only focus on the slight sting he felt on his keister. A hand patted his arm as the owner walked past.

"That you are, shame you didn't see that coming," Yang said. Naruto knew from the tone in her voice that she walked with an exaggerated sway in her step. Had his eyes been uncovered, he would've stared, but he just stood there, frozen.

"...I need to start wearing a mask." A boy murmured nearby.

"What if you have to fly on a Bullhead again, Jaune?"

"I'll take some pills before I do!"

"Ha! Did ya see that, Ren? That's one of the guys I was telling you about."

"Nora, I don't think we should ever bring that back up in discussion. You were talking about teams? ...And sloths?"

"Oh, yeah! See, we'll make sloth calls to each other if we get separated!"

"Nora, I don't think sloths make calls."

"Well not on a scroll, silly! I'm talking animal calls, Ren!"

 _Okay, brain rebooted. I'll dwell on what just happened later,_ Naruto thought as he hastened his pace out of the room.

* * *

 **AN: Been a while since I came to this fic. Watched AKA Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. DD still has them beat. Still inspiring me for this. So, y'all know what I'm gonna ask ya to do.**

 **REVIEW!**


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